The Silliest Jurassic World FanFiction Ever Written
by Lord Kristine
Summary: You will believe a stegoceratops can fly.
1. Prologue

**Juruti, Pará**

 **Brazil**

Guilherme Carneiro was a superstitious man. Unlike the locals who had deep-rooted cultural beliefs, Guilherme was more inclined to believe in his own personal follies. He was said to be paranoid, and that was true, but there was something more to his one-man sect than simple nerves. Guilherme had an almost ritualistic habit of only sailing down the Amazon when the moon was half full on its right side. He'd make a few exceptions, of course, but what he never, ever, _ever_ did was sail on the river when the moon was bright on its left side. His father had been attacked and killed by a caiman on one such night, and Guilherme specifically remembered looking up at the sky and cursing the moon which so often took the lives of his kin through the power of fate. The moon, he thought, was a celestial body which could be fought. The Sun was a sacred bringer of life, and it would be foolish to defy the stars, but the moon was simply a ghostly rock, reflecting the light of its more brilliant companions while it drifted aimlessly through the night sky. And so, taking to the river on a day when the moon glowed brightly on its right side, Guilherme started his motor, which sputtered like an old man, and zoomed across the wrinkly water.

The river was at its maximum width on this particular night, fed by the warm rain of the wet season. The trees were almost completely immersed in this flood, looking more like bushes than anything. It wasn't uncommon to see leaves and branches being dragged along by the mucky current in the wet season, and Guilherme had to keep his eyes open, lest one of these obstacles get caught in his motor, which was already feeble enough to merit caution on smooth waters. Guilherme was no stranger to motor damage, but he fared better than the majority of fishermen. He knew the river like the back of his hand, and although he had the occasional slip up, his track record was far from unclean. He made good use of his rickety motor, and he therefore had to bring it to the shop far less frequently than most of his peers. Even so, he couldn't afford to replace the engine at the moment. Money was tighter than usual.

It wasn't long before Guilherme found what he was looking for. There was a dark, rippling patch of water, perfect for piranha fishing. Guilherme could usually sell his best fish to the novelty vendors, who would perform taxidermal procedures on the corpses and sell them to tourists for a small fortune. They seemed to like Guilherme, giving him more money than the fish were worth. Of course, they also sold the displays at an unfair price, so their kindness was only half admirable. Guilherme had seen the place where they prepared the corpses, once. He'd never forget the jars of false eyes lined up at every table. There was something horribly morbid about that place.

Despite the unsettling nature of his superiors, Guilherme did not wish to change occupations any time soon. He was lucky to make a decent amount of money in such a niche market, and since fishing was all he knew, fishing was all he did.

Guilherme turned off his motor and leaned forward in the rickety boat, which swayed under his shifting weight. He had brought bits of cow flesh to use as bait, which he kept in a rusty bucket. There was no need to ensure that the container was sanitary: the fish would be long dead before the tetanus kicked in. Once he had a bleeding scrap latched securely on his hook, he dipped the line into the water. Piranhas, unlike most fish, were perfectly content with eating stationary prey. As long as it bled, it was fair game.

Guilherme waited for a good fifteen minutes before he began to wonder why there were no fish in the dark spot. It was possible that they simply weren't in the biting mood, but that was rather unlikely at this hour. Perhaps his meat was unsuitable. No, that wasn't true. It was unsuitable most of the time anyway, and the piranhas always seemed to bite regardless of quality.

And then, Guilherme discovered the reason behind their disappearance. The fish were darting around a rotting carcass upstream. He could see their silvery-orange bodies flitting in and out of the water, tearing apart some sort of dead animal with quick bites. When the body drifted out from under a half-immersed tree and into the moonlight, Guilherme recognized the tail of a dolphin. It was very peculiar, indeed. In all his years of fishing, Guilherme had never seen piranhas take down a fully-grown dolphin.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Guilherme realized that he was an idiot. They hadn't killed the dolphin themselves: something larger must have felled the creature and left the scraps for scavengers. As far as Guilherme was concerned, anything ferocious enough to kill a decently large mammal was a threat to him. He had a sneaking suspicion that a caiman was to blame.

Quickly, Guilherme revved up his motor and sped away from the scene. Caimans had a nasty habit of attacking unarmed men in boats. Somehow, the creatures were smart enough to recognize when their prey was vulnerable.

Guilherme's boat was suddenly knocked off course by a floating object that he had not seen in the darkness. Quickly, he shut off the motor to avoid damaging the system. It was then that he noticed the smell. It was an awful, putrid stench that reminded him of rot and feces. When he leaned overboard, he saw a dead caiman, floating bellyside up. Guilherme put his hand over his nose and mouth in disgust, and pushed the corpse away with his fishing pole. It rocked lightly, then drifted away with a gentle splashing sound. The stubby arms dipped underwater as the dead animal rotated.

Unlatching part of the motor equipment from its stand, Guilherme examined his engine for external damage. There was none. As a matter of fact, there wasn't any sign that the propellers or any other mechanized bit had come into contact with the creature. This, put together with the suspicious smell of rotting flesh, meant that the caiman had been dead before hitting the boat. Guilherme was inclined to believe that it had died of natural causes, until he caught a glimpse of the creature's face, which had been brutally mauled. Whatever had killed this foul beast must have been responsible for the dolphin's demise as well, judging by the similarly cruel lacerations on both victims. Something that was large enough to kill two animals, one of them a predator, would pose a significant threat to the villagers, should it wander too close to the docks. It should be destroyed as soon as possible.

Guilherme reached forward slowly and opened a secret compartment in the hull of his boat. He pulled out an old shotgun, which he had reserved for emergencies such as these. He didn't quite trust the weapon, as it could easily be a dud, or worse, dangerously rigged, but he didn't have much of a choice. It would be irresponsible to let the mysterious monster roam freely through populated waters. Furthermore, if he were to kill the creature without damaging the hide, it might be worth a small fortune.

As Guilherme cocked the gun, he noticed something unnerving. What he had thought to be a simple log suddenly dipped underwater, disappearing from sight. It was almost certainly a caiman, or something equally crocodilian and monstrous. Thinking back to the night his father had died, Guilherme couldn't help but feel optimistic. The moon was bright on the right side tonight, which meant that the heavens were on his side. Slowly, he scanned his surroundings, keeping the gun pointed at the murky depths.

Without warning, he heard a loud splash and felt a set of jaws clamping around his head. He dropped his gun as he was yanked backwards, screaming at the top of his lungs. The noise was suddenly cut off when he was dragged underwater by his assailant. He was dead before he could get the slightest glimpse of the monster, but he had noticed something cruelly poetic before entering the water.

Although the moon was bright on its right side, its reflection was quite the opposite.


	2. Prologue Number Two

Far away, in a different world, a yellow dragon and a winged woman were sitting on a fancy boat near a small island. The winged woman was lying on a beach chair, scribbling quick notes on a piece of parchment with a feather that most certainly came from her wing. The dragon, meanwhile, peered over her shoulder, scanning the words that appeared on the page with alacrity. Her nostrils twitched suddenly, and she leaned in towards the woman, looking at her upside-down.

"Ellie, why are you narrating for us?"

The woman let go of her quill, and it continued to write on its own.

"I thought we'd do a poioumenon kind of thing. We're the 'B Story'."

The dragon grinned.

"That's so cool. Does that mean we'll have twice as many chapters?"

"Mhm."

"Coo-oo-ool! What are we going to do?"

Ellie stood up and poured herself a drink at the bar.

"I don't know yet. There's something we have to investigate," she said mysteriously.

"And that would be? . . ." the dragon pressed.

"Julia Spurr," Ellie stated in a businesslike tone, "She was my formal rival, as you know, from my days as a paleobotanist. She contacted Claire Dearing recently, asking her for a sample of her blood."

The dragon frowned in puzzlement.

"But Julia Spurr was from _your_ world, not Claire's . . ."

"Actually, she comes from neither. I scanned her background, and it turns out that she is Asterpara-born, or at least knows how to use Asterparan Magic."

The dragon's eyes went wide.

"Asterpara?! That's unbelievable! What animal is she, really?"

Ellie shrugged.

"That's what we're going to find out. It seems like Julia wants to involve herself in my story, somehow. I can't imagine why, unless she's planned some sort of revenge plot against you. I wouldn't be surprised, given your infamy among the Asterparan Elite. In any case, she'll most likely be showing up soon, and we'll have to figure out her devious plan. Lord knows I could use some conflict in this story. By the way, June is on the move."

"Oh, really?"

"Mhm. She's in Brazil right now, but she's traveling fast. She's going to swim to Phnom Penh."

The dragon pricked her ears.

"Cambodia? That's pretty far."

Ellie nodded.

"She's a phenomenal swimmer. Back when she was in _my_ world, she swam to Africa from Montana."

"And then back to New York."

"But that was with the help of a giant demonic pig. Even so, she has many talents."

"Like being evil?"

"I wouldn't call that a talent."

The dragon chuckled.

"Fair enough. Being good is far more impressive. You know. You're an angel."

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Is that a wing joke?"

The dragon shrugged.

"I can't _always_ be clever."

Ellie leaned against the boat's railing and stared out at the ocean. The clouds were tall and fluffy, and the wind blew calmly with the promise of an upcoming adventure.

"You know, it's a big world out there," Ellie said simply.

The dragon nodded.

"And there are countless worlds just like it."

"And then there's the Overworld . . ."

The dragon smiled whimsically.

"Yeah. Speaking of which, are we going to see the premiere together, or are you going to forbid me from watching it like Zebil did?"

Ellie punched the dragon's arm lightly.

"Don't be silly. We're family. It's our duty to participate in friendly social activities to counteract the times when we make each other's lives miserable."

The dragon laughed.

"That was a good quote. It's definitely going in the scrapbook."

"You have a scrapbook?"

"No. But if I did, I'd put that quote in it."

Ellie smiled.

"You know, we _should_ have a scrapbook. Our adventures are-"

"Ridiculous?"

"Yes, but also fun. By the way, I was visiting Fiction headquarters the other day, and I had a funny thing happen to me."

"Go on . . ."

"I lifted this guy's hammer, and everyone flipped their shit."

The dragon chuckled.

"Well, you _are_ God. Still, you shouldn't go around breaking other people's universes. It's just common decency."

Ellie shrugged.

"I suppose, but there's nothing much I can do. I have a hard time keeping track of what limitations people expect from me."

"Not that you'd _follow_ them, being the supreme power in our Universe . . ."

Ellie hummed.

"It's been a weird few years."

The dragon nodded.

"Almost a decade, with some generous rounding."

They sat quietly for a moment, taking in the calm atmosphere. With a deep breath, Ellie spread her wings.

"I'd say it's about time to head on over to Costa Rica . . . er . . . the _other_ Costa Rica. By the time we get there, some serious shit will be going down."

The dragon tented her claws deviously.

"Excellent. And we'll be catching the premiere on the way, correct?"

"Absolutely. But before we cross over, I want to do a little test drive over the ocean. These wings need training."

The dragon raised her eyebrow.

"I thought you'd be good at flying by now . . ."

"I am, but I've been busy. I haven't had the time to test my limits."

The dragon grinned roguishly.

"Yes, but the real question is: do you even _have_ limits, Ellie Sattler?"

"Absolutely fucking not."


	3. How Now

Claire Dearing was tired. Not only was she tired, but she was barely even alive. Of course, being half dead due to exhaustion was better than being half dead because of the ominous threat of lurking dinosaurs that could end her life any moment. But that was all in the past. Even so, the dull, nightmarish thrum of the previous day was still present in her mind, and it haunted Claire's dreams as she drifted in and out of a light slumber.

"You okay?"

Claire's eyes fluttered open, and she saw Owen staring down at her. They were still being detained, and were currently waiting for the higher-ups to announce their plan of action. The other evacuees were in no better position. Everyone seemed to be in a trance, speaking only when a security official asked them a question and lumbering around the building like the living dead. Claire would have liked to believe that it was all over, that the terrible nightmare of yesterday was indeed in the past, but she knew that she would be wrong to assume such a thing. There were still a few people missing, and on an island full of dinosaurs, "missing" was probably as good as "dead", which meant that there would be a whole lot of paperwork involved. And then there was the matter of the park in general . . .

"We're in for a lot of shit," she sighed.

Owen stroked her hair.

"But we're alive."

"By the time the lawyers get to us, we'll wish we weren't."

He squeezed her gently.

"Don't worry about that now. Get some rest."

Claire sighed.

"If I try, I'll have nightmares."

"Then stay awake."

"That's just as bad. Everyone here hates me."

" _I_ don't hate you."

Claire picked her fingernail idly.

"Do you blame me for what happened?"

"I don't think so."

Claire yawned and stretched out her arms. She didn't want to drift off again.

"What are you gonna do when I'm taken in for questioning?" she asked. Owen shrugged.

"Just sit and listen, I guess."

Claire scoffed.

"They won't take _both_ of us at once."

Owen gave a faint smile.

"I know, but I could get a tin can and some wire . . ."

Claire batted his shoulder.

"I'll probably be in there longer than you, you know."

Owen shook his head.

"I don't think so. Not after what happened with the raptors."

Claire laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry. About everything."

"Don't worry about it."

"That's impossible. Worrying is what keeps me alive."

Owen smiled.

"Fair point. I just don't want you to feel responsible. If you're upset, we need to figure things out. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Claire shook her head.

"Maybe later. I get the feeling that I'll be doing a lot of talking soon. I'd better get my story straight."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"If anyone asks, we're Polish immigrants and we haven't been smuggling fruits or vegetables. You didn't put any hand cream in your luggage, did you?"

Claire sighed.

"I sure could use some. I look and smell terrible."

Owen scrunched up his face.

"Yeah . . . You should probably take a shower."

"You too."

Owen grinned mischievously.

"Isn't it a bit soon for that?"

Claire laughed.

"Oh, you _wish_."

"Not really. You're kind of messy."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"That's a wonderful thing to say when a person's spirits are down . . ."

"Hey, I'm just being honest," Owen said defensively, "But at the very least, you know I'll never lie to you about whether a dress makes you look fat."

Claire groaned.

"Have you ever seen me look this bad?"

"Can't say I have, but at least it's temporary."

"I feel like shit."

"I think we all do."

Claire felt her heart race when a man with a clipboard walked by. Thankfully, he was about to interview someone else. The last thing she wanted was to be interrogated by the police or government officials, but it would eventually come to that, whether she was ready or not. She just hoped that she wouldn't have to be taken away from Owen for too long. Having him around made her feel a little bit more at ease. Perhaps it was his humor that relieved the tension, or maybe it was the idea of facing the challenge together . . . _really_ together. Claire hadn't thought about it a great deal, but if there was one thing to look forward to after all of this . . . well . . .

"Do you like Italian food?"

Owen swiveled his head around.

"What?"

"Italian food. Do you like it?" Claire repeated.

Owen frowned in puzzlement.

"Yeah . . . Why?"

"I was just thinking that once this is over, _if_ it ever ends, we could find an Italian restaurant and go on a date."

Owen nodded.

"Sounds good, but why Italian?"

Claire shrugged.

"It's fancy. I need something luxurious to counteract this crap."

Owen smiled.

"I promise that, as soon as we have time, I'll take you out to someplace nice."

Claire kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. It wasn't long, however, before their tender moment was interrupted by the clipboard man. He marched forward and gave them a quick scan.

"You Claire Dearing?"

She gulped.

"Am I being interrogated?"

The man nodded. Claire felt her heart sink. She reached up to fiddle with her necklace . . . only to find that it wasn't there.

Claire stood up in a flash.

"Wow. _Someone's_ eager to be interviewed," Owen joked.

Claire didn't bother to reply, for she was searching the seat frantically. After a second, Owen frowned in concern and leaned forward.

"What did you lose?"

"My necklace," Claire gulped.

"Was it valuable?"

Claire felt her heart beating faster and faster. It wasn't simply _valuable_ : it was _essential_. If she were to lose her cool-

Claire shuddered as a wave of nausea washed over her. It was happening. It was happening and it was happening at the worst possible time.

"I can look for the necklace while you're gone," Owen offered.

Claire forced herself to stop shaking.

"Ah, no. That's fine. I'm fine. Forget the necklace. I just . . . I have to go to the bathroom."

She turned to the clipboard man with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. The interrogation will have to wait. I won't take long, I promise."

And with that, she bolted down the hall.

***TSJWFEW***

 **Cow (Noun)**

1\. A fully grown female animal of a domesticated breed of ox, used as a source of milk or beef.

2\. A woman, especially a fat or stupid one.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen sat impatiently outside of the women's restroom. Claire had been inside for a good fifteen minutes, and he was starting to wonder what could possibly be taking her so long. Not wanting to rush her, he kept his mouth shut. To his relief, he heard Claire's voice quavering feebly on the other side of the door.

"Owen? . . ."

He stopped leaning against the wall and turned his head.

"Yeah?"

"I have a problem."

Owen rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"A lady-problem?"

"No . . ."

He sighed with relief.

"Okay. What do you need?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

Owen didn't like where this was going. Of course, he had no idea what the dramatic reveal was going to be, but it could range anywhere from diarrhea to things he didn't want to know existed.

"I might be able to keep a secret. Yeah. Sure. I can."

She paused.

"It's kind of a big secret, and you aren't going to believe me until I show you."

Oh boy. That didn't sound good.

"Claire . . . Are you sure I'm the best person to trust with this secret of yours?" Owen asked nervously.

"I . . . I hope so. You're the only one around and . . . and you're very accepting. Do you promise not to be scared?"

He was very much scared.

"Claire, this is sounding a little intimidating. What exactly is wrong?"

She gulped.

"I have a problem. A supernatural problem."

Owen blinked and shook his head.

"I might have heard you wrong. Did you say _supernatural_?"

"Yes."

Owen twisted his mouth.

"Okay . . . Like ghosts, or-"

"No. It's complicated. Kind of. Look, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise, Claire."

"Alright. I'm gonna tell you now. Here it goes . . ."

She took a deep breath.

"I'm a dinosaur."

Owen blinked.

"Um . . . Can you explain that statement?"

"I'm literally a dinosaur. I have four legs and a tail. I'm a dinosaur."

Owen rubbed his chin.

"Claire . . . I don't get it."

Suddenly, a large beak pushed the door open. The beak in question was attached to a face which had three horns and a frill. Behind it, a massive body appeared, followed by a long, swinging tail. Owen fell backwards and began to crawl away. Before he could get too far, Claire put her front foot on his pantleg, pinning him in place.

"Don't run."

He sat staring at her, trying desperately to catch his breath.

"You . . . You weren't kidding," he laughed nervously.

Claire lifted her foot and sat with her tail curled in front of her. Her shoulders were hunched, and she wouldn't make eye contact with him. She seemed very upset, and rightly so.

"I'm sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden, but I don't trust anyone else, and besides, we're all alone."

Owen gulped and stood up. Slowly, he circled her, examining every oddity she now displayed. She was mostly olive green, but her frill and plates were a rusty red color, like her hair had been. She had beige toe-nubs and spikes on her tail. Her beak was a dull gold like the indentations on her frill (two large and two small). The frill in question was butterfly-shaped, with a little extension that sat on her forehead like bangs. Along the edge of her frill were pinkish bumps that looked like pearls. Her underbelly was brownish-yellow, just like the bottoms of her back feet and her inner thighs (she quickly shooed Owen away from the area as soon as he started getting too nosy). He examined her horns last, running his hand along them before staring into her eyes, which were the same as they had always been, only a lot bigger. She gazed at him with a worried expression, then rubbed her front leg nervously.

"So . . . What do you think?"

Owen was struggling to find the right words. Finally, he sighed.

"Claire, I think you might be a stegoceratops."

***TSJWFEW***

"Ms. Spurr! We have a reading on the Stegoceratops Tracking Device!"

A stern-looking blonde woman spun around in her chair and put her elbows on the mahogany desk in front of her.

"Bernie, how many times do I have to _tell_ you? The proper term is Stegoceratops Tracking _Implantation_."

"Either way, our acronyms are terrible."

The woman stood up and walked across the room. She stopped in front of a large window and looked down at the poverty-stricken streets of Madrid. The outside world stood in stark contrast to her orderly office. It might seem like a poor business decision to set her headquarters in an area that could be described as the slums, but for her purposes, it was perfect. She didn't want to arouse suspicion, and the people of this district wouldn't give a rat's ass about who she was or who she pretended to be.

"Bernie, it may be time to contact our dear friend, June."

The man wrung his hands.

"We haven't even spoken to her yet. How are we gonna find her?"

Spurr didn't adjust her line of sight.

"She leaves a trail of blood. If we can pinpoint a series of brutal murders that form a pattern, it will lead us straight to her. You will, of course, search for these incidents on your own, or I could very easily send you back to the hell from which you came."

The man shrunk away.

"I'll get right on it."

The woman smiled thinly.

"Good. You may have a better chance of finding her in a land with elephants."

The man cocked his head.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she's raising an army, and war elephants were mentioned in the prophecy."

The man's eyes went wide.

"Should we be worried?"

"No," Spurr replied calmly, "She may have an army . . ."

A hideous roar erupted from the chamber below the office.

". . . but we have a monster."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen paced back and forth in front of Claire with his chin in his hand.

"So, this wing-lady gave you a necklace, and it's been suppressing your stegoceratopsedness?"

"If that were a word, then yes."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"Are you sure this isn't just a side-effect of science?"

Claire frowned.

"This isn't a Saturday morning cartoon, Owen. My problem is serious."

Owen shrugged.

"I don't think it's that bad. I mean, you're still in good health, so-"

"I'm a dinosaur."

"I noticed."

Claire sighed.

"There's one more thing. Remember that night when I went to Alfonzo's with a strange woman?"

"I'm surprised _you_ remember, after-"

Owen gulped as Claire growled in warning.

"-well, I'm just surprised you remember. Go on."

"She said something about this carving in Cambodia. It was a stegoceratops, and she wanted my blood . . . I don't know why. It's really cloudy. But it's suspicious, don't you think?"

Owen nodded.

"Very suspicious. Maybe it's a government conspiracy."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"This is no time to be making jokes. I'm _afraid_ , Owen. What if I'm stuck this way forever?"

Owen crossed his arms.

"I'm sticking with you to the very end, Claire. You can count on me."

She snorted.

"I stand by my Saturday morning cartoon comparison."

Owen began to pace again. For a while, neither of them had anything to say. It was clear that they couldn't meet up with the others; the group wouldn't be keen to encounter another dinosaur. It would also be foolish to contact security officials, for similar reasons. They were stuck. Finally, Claire tossed her head in agitation.

"This is insane! What are we supposed to _do_?"

Owen punched his palm with determination.

"Find answers. If this carving of yours is in Cambodia, that's a good place to start."

Claire thought he was joking at first, but then she looked into his eyes. He was serious. He was _dead_ serious. More surprising still, she kind of agreed with him.

"How are we supposed to hide me if I . . . you know . . ." she asked, waving her front foot vaguely to approximate the words "can't change back".

"I haven't figured that out yet. Do you have a trenchcoat?"

"That's not funny."

Owen hummed and leaned against the wall, thinking hard. Claire swished her tail slowly, examining it with a kind of sadness. When she turned back, Owen was kneeling in front of her face.

"Hey. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed the ridge of her beak. Claire flinched, but smiled shortly after.

"Thank you. Thank you for helping me and for not running away."

Owen smiled coyly.

"Hey, you're a herbivore. What could you _possibly_ do to hurt me?"

Claire kicked him gently.

"These horns are sharp."

Owen laughed and started petting her snout. She pulled away and snorted angrily.

"I'm not an animal. Don't treat me like one."

Owen smiled.

"You know, you pull off the dinosaur look pretty well. Even so, I'd like to get you back to normal."

Claire nodded.

"What do you propose we do?"

Owen put his hands on his hips.

"We are going to travel to Cambodia!"


	4. A Sinister Plot

Far away, in the land called Overworld, Ellie Sattler and her dragon grandmother walked out of a movie theatre, both wearing 3D glasses. They snuck past clumps of people, who didn't appear to notice them. The reason for this strange phenomenon was made clear by the way they wove through the crowd. They touched no one, for to do so would most likely arouse suspicion, as they were invisible to everyone else in the building. Once outside (and far away from the wandering moviegoers), Ellie leaned against a decorative pillar and sipped her drink.

"So. What did you think?"

Slowly, a grin spread across the dragon's face.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" she declared. Ellie laughed.

"I'm glad you think so, Elkay."

The dragon frowned.

"Why did you use my name?"

"Because I need it for the narration. It's expository."

The dragon twisted her beak.

"Ah. Didn't you say it before?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Maybe. I don't remember."

Elkay hummed in disapproval.

"Well, you ought to write these things down . . . Erm, what I mean is, you should take better notes. It's dangerous to let crucial information slip, as you learned during your . . . episode."

Ellie frowned.

"Thank you for bringing that up."

"You're in denial."

"It's not denial!"

"Denial of denial is the first sign of denial."

Ellie rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Look, I have everything under control."

"That's a dangerous word to use . . ." the dragon said ominously.

Ellie put her hands on her hips and curled her wings.

"Can you lighten up a little? I'm doing my best to meet your standards. I've even improved upon your grammar. Or rather, I've made a point of going against the stupid rules you made for yourself, which were inaccurate, by the way. In any case, I'm not trying to fumble through this like an idiot. I'm working hard, you know . . ."

Elkay smiled.

"I know. Thanks for maintaining the integrity of our saga. You did a good job. Both you _and_ Zebil. By the way, the stegoceratops-"

"In the movie? Yeah, Wu's been doing some crazy shit."

Elkay tented her fingers.

"I see. Did he ever go through with his plans of hybridization?"

Ellie nodded.

"He's been secretly sending his tests to the Cholana Kangtoap Serei Cheat Kampuchea in an effort to militarize genetics under the table."

"Holy shit!"

"He thought he was sending non-viable embryos, but the Cambodian government found a way to grow the stegoceratops fetuses in top-secret laboratories. Some of the experiments didn't make it, but others thrived. The scientists' ploy was quickly discovered by the UN, however, and they had to cover their tracks by sending the stegoceratopses back in time using a Receditur Device. The experiments ended up in ancient times, where they lived peacefully with humans until the Great Separation of 1482, but that's a different story."

Elkay's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit, Ellie! Why is this the first time I'm hearing any of this?"

Ellie shrugged.

"I had to set up the backstory. My plot was in the Beta Stage for a very long time, so I couldn't allow myself to make any leaps in logic."

"Like how they managed to keep all of this a secret, for example?" Elkay asked sardonically. Ellie smiled.

"Well, I may have intervened once or twice to create convenient situations, but other than that, we're all good."

Elkay sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Ellie, don't get carried away."

"Look who's calling the kettle black . . ."

Elkay hummed in agitation.

"I'm not saying that this is a problem yet, but I _do_ need to know a few details for security reasons. First, how many memories did you wipe?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Does it really matter? I made sure that there would be no risk of discovery-"

"That's not the _point_ , Ellie!" Elkay stressed, "Amnesia is, like, the laziest plot device ever! We've already had to erase Claire and Owen's memory on several occasions, and there's only so many times we can use our mind-bending powers to serve the plot without being called talentless hacks!"

Ellie pursed her lips.

"And here I thought you were going to say that we have to be responsible because of _morality_ . . ."

Elkay frowned.

"Don't get sassy with _me_ , young lady. Remember, this is a continuation of _my_ legacy. If I say 'no more forced amnesia', I expect everyone's memories to be intact."

Ellie threw out her empty cup and sat down on the sidewalk.

"Bit late for that. I've already wiped every brain that I had to, and I don't plan to go any further on that account. I'm well aware that it's a cheap way out, but I see no alternative. You remember what Henry Wu got up to in _my_ dimension without moral guidance. We can't let that happen again. Not right now, anyway. Our primary focus is June, and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to make her well."

Elkay nodded.

"Are you sure it can be done?"

"Absolutely."

Elkay narrowed her eyes.

"You've been using that word a lot lately. Is that your new thing?"

Ellie shook her head.

"No. I'm just confident, that's all."

Before Elkay could reply, Ellie held up her finger to preemptively silence the dragon.

"Before you say anything about Chaos Theory or how I'm too wrapped up in my narration, I'll remind you that on the inside, I'm scared shitless. I'm fully aware that this situation is dangerous, and I expect to face many challenges, especially from Julia Spurr. Having known her for a long time before you decided to concern yourself with my story, I can safely say that she is a deadly opponent. If she's Asterparan, we have all the more reason to fear her. That's why I've made certain leaps in logic to ensure that if something goes wrong, I will always have a backup. As a point of fact, I've set up several plot holes that, if activated, will be our fail-safe. You're no stranger to the Deus Ex Machina, and while I don't want it to come to that, we may be left with no choice if things get really ugly. Just understand that I've planned this out so that we're somewhat ready. I may not be perfect, but I've made damn well sure that we always have a way out."

Elkay clapped slowly.

"Wow. I've heard less pandering in presidential speeches."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm just trying to say that we'll be fine. Fine-ish. It depends on how bad this adventure gets. It might be challenging. For me. Since I'm new to this. And afraid."

Elkay smiled warmly.

"Well, considering you rescued me from a hellish pit of death and despair, I think we can trust in your godly competence."

Ellie sighed.

"I hope so. I just worry that something worse is coming. It seems to me that every time I think I've faced my biggest challenge, something new rears its ugly head."

Elkay's ear twitched.

"Yeah, but I'm probably to blame for that. I always made sure that the story got bigger and bigger as time went on. Well . . . up until I went crazy."

"Even then, you had space-pirates."

"Yeah, but that was stupid. That was _really_ stupid. God, what was I _thinking_?"

"You _weren't_ thinking. You kind of jumped the shark."

Elkay nodded.

"Speaking of sharks, where's Zebil?"

Ellie blinked.

"That seems like an odd dot to connect . . ."

Elkay rolled her eyes, chuckling quietly.

"Sharks are famous ocean predators. Tigers are famous land predators. And they're both blue."

"Sharks are gray."

"Not blue sharks."

"Great white sharks are gray."

"Which really makes no sense, when you think about it."

Ellie frowned.

"Wait. Why didn't you make the connection by thinking about _tiger_ sharks? That would have been the most logical thought process, relatively speaking."

Elkay chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Ellie. My mind is a mysterious and wonderful thing. You never know what I'll come up with next. Speaking of segues, how's the story coming along?"

Ellie flipped through her notebook.

"Fine. We've reached the initial incident. Claire Dearing is a stegoceratops. See?"

She held up the page for the dragon to see. After scanning a couple of lines, Elkay raised her eyebrows.

"Cool. What's next?"

"They're going to fly to Cambodia."

"How?"

"I'm helping them."

Before Elkay could warn Ellie about her explicit intervention, a rather large blue tiger bounded up to them merrily.

"I'm back!" he whooped.

"From where?" Elkay asked.

"Still as attentive as ever, I see," Ellie quipped.

"Oh, hush! _He_ didn't know when I was in the Beneath," the dragon retorted.

"Quiet, both of you!" Zebil huffed, "I have news. Julia Spurr is tracking Claire Dearing."

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"You don't have to use their full names, you know. I already addressed that in my narration."

"I know! I've been reading," Zebil replied testily, "But your auto-narration for the events outside of your control indicates that Spurr is somehow planning to use Claire to her advantage."

Ellie nodded.

"So I gathered. I vote that we investigate."

Zebil flicked his stub of a tail.

"I can scout out her fortress in Madrid. I may even be able to stop her. Maybe. If I judge the situation to be too dangerous, we'll have to meet up and fight together. Elkay, do you still have your armor from the Asterparan wars?"

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"I _think_ so. Last time I checked, it was in my hoard."

"Your hoard? . . ." Ellie echoed.

"Yeah, you know, like a hoard of gold, only _my_ hoard mostly consists of odd bits of merchandise that I've collected over the years."

Ellie hummed.

"I guess we'd better take a look, then. Zebil, be careful if you're going to scout out the premises. I get the feeling that Spurr knows more than she lets on."

Zebil nodded.

"I'm pretty sure she's aware that she's being narrated for. Whenever she brings up her master plan, she's deliberately vague about it. Still, it can't hurt to read her segments, in case she accidentally reveals crucial details."

"What do we know so far?" Elkay asked.

"She wants to contact June, presumably to interfere with my reformation plan," Ellie declared, "And speaking of which, I know I promised we could go to Costa Rica, but it looks like we'll have to bite the bullet and go straight to Cambodia. By the time we're done locating your armor, Claire and Owen will have arrived."

"What about Barry?" Elkay asked.

"I see no problem with leaving him behind," Ellie said dismissively, "There's no way he can catch up with them, and besides, he won't contribute much to the story as I've planned it."

Elkay held up her claw.

"Ah-ah-ah! What did we say about overconfidence? . . ."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to hammer it in."

Zebil stepped between them.

"So, do we want to send me in as a spy, or . . ."

"Actually . . . No. Just stay with us for now," Ellie replied, "Until we analyze the situation, I don't want to put you in a potentially dangerous locale. There's safety in numbers, you know."

"Yeah!" Elkay yapped brightly, pushing Ellie to the side, "Plus, I kind of need you to help me find my armor. If my hoard-cave is as messy as the last time I saw it, we'd better sort it out together."

Ellie nodded sharply.

"Right. Does this mean we're headed to Asterpara?"

Elkay spread her wings.

"I can't think of a clever comeback, so I'll just say 'yes'."

"Let's go!" Ellie whooped.

They shot into the sky with a strong beat of their wings. The sun glared radiantly as they disappeared into the wild blue yonder. Below, Zebil frowned and flicked his tail-nub.

"Sure. Alright. Go ahead and fly away without me. I'll catch up. I guess."


	5. Cambodia Or Bust

"Ow!"

"Sorry, was that your leg?"

"Uh-huh. Was that your tail?"

"Nope. My arm."

"Hm."

Claire and Owen had managed to sneak into a large crate that (according to the label) was being flown to Cambodia. Claire had reservations at first, but a long, white feather landed gently on the latch before blowing away in the wind, which was probably a sign from wing-lady that this was the right path to take. Why else would there be an empty stegoceratops-sized crate lying around? Not to mention the lack of security guards . . .

"Owen?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for doing this for me."

Claire could just barely see that he was smiling in the darkness.

"No problem."

She nudged him with her beak.

"No. Seriously. There is not a person alive who would do what you've done. You're the best."

Owen climbed up on her belly (she was, in fact, lying on her back with her plates folded outwards [which shouldn't have been possible]) and gave her a hug.

"I couldn't let anything happen to you. After what happened at the park, I don't think anyone would be sympathetic towards your predicament. No offense."

"None taken."

"My point is, I don't blame you for freaking out. It's a little scary for me too, but I'm not about to leave you, if you need my help."

"I do."

Claire wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. He smiled and buried his face in her chest.

"This isn't so bad, you know. You're very huggable."

Claire frowned sardonically.

"I'm fat and ugly and green."

Owen shrugged.

"Shrek is fat and ugly and green, and everyone likes _him_ . . ."

Claire rumbled angrily.

"Pro tip: if you want to woo a lady, don't compare her to Shrek."

Owen laughed.

"I guess I should listen to you, now that we're . . ."

Claire snorted.

"Let's not get too confident."

Owen smiled and kissed the ridge of her beak.

"Anything else you want to tell me to prevent a screw-up?"

Claire smiled mischievously.

"Oh . . . I don't know. Sing my praises, bring me flowers-"

Suddenly, Claire felt very nauseous. Owen frowned and sat up on her belly.

"What's wrong?"

"I . . . I think I'm changing back!"

Sure enough, she began to shrink. Owen quickly slid off of her chest, now that he had room to sit on the ground without being pressed against the wall by her voluminous body fat. When she was fully human, he crawled over and felt her forehead.

"You don't have a fever . . ."

Claire nodded woozily.

"I don't think it's an illness. I blame the magic wing-lady for this."

"Well, at least you're back to normal."

Claire closed her eyes and nodded.

"Does this mean we don't have to fly to Cambodia?"

Suddenly, the crate was lifted by some sort of machine. Owen gave a sheepish grin.

"I guess that's our answer."

***TSJWFEW***

"Ms. Spurr! The stegoceratops is on the move!" Bernie yapped as he skittered down the hallway. He found Spurr sitting at her desk, as usual, writing something on a small notepad.

"Did you contact June?" she asked calmly. Bernie gulped.

"No, but-"

"I asked you to contact June."

"Yes, but I haven't found-"

Spurr ripped a page from the notepad and slammed it on the desk.

"These are her coordinates in five hours. You will find her and you will tell her what we plan to do. In the meantime, you are to prevent the stegoceratops and her partner from reaching their destination. We can flush out the Starbearer by endangering her characters."

Bernie read the note.

"June is swimming to Cambodia?"

"Yes. The Starbearer has placed a colony of stegoceratops- _real_ stegoceratops- near an ancient temple so that Claire Dearing may train them to fight in a war against the elephants. Her plan is to reform June. We must make sure that she doesn't succeed. That is why Claire Dearing and Owen Grady must be stopped."

Bernie nodded.

"And what shall I do, Ms. Spurr?"

She gave him an ice-cold stare.

"Kill them."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen smiled as Claire shifted on his chest. She had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, and he had to admit, he was very much in favor of their current situation. Of course, they were still trapped in a crate that was being flown to Cambodia, but if that meant they were on their way to finding a cure for Claire, he was all for it.

Truth be told, he felt a sort of sadness for her. It wasn't pity, exactly, but it made him want to find a way to make her feel better. The expression on her face when she had first revealed herself was enough to break his heart. She was so ashamed, but she really had no reason to be. If what she said was true, and it probably was, the magic wing-lady was responsible for her transformation. Owen didn't really know what to make of this mysterious winged woman, but he was willing to believe Claire, if only for the simple reason that she had been a hybrid dinosaur a few moments prior, which meant that anything was possible.

"Mmm . . ."

She leaned in closer to him, and he rested his cheek on her head.

"Are we still on the plane?" she asked drowsily.

"Yup. You can go back to sleep."

She sighed and laced her fingers through his.

"Thank you . . ."

"You already said that," he chuckled quietly.

Her breathing slowed down, and she fell asleep once again. Owen found himself wondering what would happen if she changed into a dinosaur. Hopefully, it wouldn't happen in a public area, but if it did, he'd have to defend her. Not that she couldn't defend herself with those horns of hers . . .

"Claire?" he whispered.

She opened her eyes.

"What?"

"When you change into a stegoceratops, does it hurt?"

"A little. It's more of a dull ache."

Owen stroked her hair.

"What sets it off? Just stress?"

Claire shrugged.

"It's an emotional thing. Like, if I'm sad and worried about something, it starts. Once I know it's happening, I feel frightened, and I can't stop it."

"Claire, I'm sorry . . ."

She shook her head.

"Really, it's not that bad. I usually just hide in the washroom and calm myself down. Without the help of the magic necklace, though, I'm worried that my willpower might not be enough to change me back."

Owen cocked his head.

"But when you changed back last time, it happened all of a sudden."

Claire nodded.

"I know. That's only ever happened once before. I was in mid-transformation, actually, and it reversed in the blink of an eye for no apparent reason."

"Were you relaxed?" Owen asked.

Claire snorted.

"Oh, hell no! I was on the phone with one of the gardeners. He let one of our multi-million dollar flowers die, and I was scolding him for it. I started changing during the conversation, then stopped just as suddenly."

Owen frowned in puzzlement.

"Weird."

"Weird," she agreed.

They sat quietly for a moment, trying to take it all in. Owen wasn't sure why her little episodes had different mechanics to them, but if he could find a way to suppress the change, maybe they wouldn't have to fly to Cambodia after all. Then again, they were already on the plane, so there wasn't much of a choice.

"Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"This was a terrible idea. Why did you agree to this?"

She sighed.

"I was a dinosaur. I was scared. I wasn't thinking straight. Now that you mention it, it's a little strange that we both decided it was completely rational to go through with this . . ."

"I guess I just assumed that the wing-lady would help us. I mean, we both saw the feather, right? That was a clue. I'm almost positive it is."

Claire nodded.

"The feather, the empty crate, the lack of guards . . . I've been thinking the same thing. She's on our side."

Owen twisted his mouth.

"Why did she change you in the first place, then?"

Claire rubbed her brow.

"I . . . I don't think it was her. I'm remembering lions and tigers-"

"And bears? Oh my!"

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Real nice."

"Personally, I think you'd make a lovely Dorothy."

For some reason, this sent her into a fit of laughter. Owen frowned as she rolled over laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing . . . Nothing . . ."

Owen snorted.

"Weirdo."

Claire smiled and kissed his cheek.

"How long until we get there?"

Owen shrugged.

"Still a long time. I don't think we're even past the States yet. If you wanna curl up again, you're totally welcome to . . ."

She giggled and rested her head on his chest. Before he could put his arms around her, the plane was jostled by a strong force. Claire sat up straight.

"What was that?"

There was another disturbance. It was as if something was grabbing the plane.

"Turbulence?" Owen suggested.

The hull trembled violently. Claire squeezed Owen's hand. As she did, he felt her fingers growing.

"Claire, calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of."

The plane dropped a few feet. Claire squeaked and held Owen tight. She was sprouting horns.

"Oh god . . . What if I weigh us down?" she quavered.

"Relax," Owen said calmly, "Worrying will only make it worse. Even if you change, we'll probably be fine."

Claire whimpered.

"But I'm fat . . ."

Owen gave her a hug.

"No, you're just cuddly. Stay calm. Nothing bad is going to happen."

He said these words right before the crate door swung open. He barely had time to register the fact that the bottom of the plane was missing before he was sucked into the open sky.

***TSJWFEW***

Back in Costa Rica, Lowery Cruthers felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He strutted away from the crowd of survivors, plugging one ear to hear better.

"Hello?"

"Hi! Lowery?"

He smiled.

"Vivian, hi! How are things going?"

"Great! . . . Okay, not so great. I might need help. I was trying to call the police, but I accidentally hit your contact. It's kind of hard to use my phone. I don't have fingers."

Lowery blinked.

"You . . . You _what_?"

"I don't have fingers. Pay attention. Anyway, I was kind of kidnapped-"

"KIDNAPPED?!" Lowery shouted.

"Yes! Pay attention. I was kidnapped and now I'm being held captive in a weird building against my will. By the way, if you see a girl with long, purple hair, don't talk to her, because she's working for the lady who kidnapped me."

Lowery paced back and forth.

"Shit! Vivian! Oh my god! Where are you?"

"Madrid, I think. It's kinda hard to tell. I'm in a cage."

Lowery ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh god . . . Oh god . . . Look, I'm going to send help, okay?"

"Okay. I might have to hang up if they come back."

"Who?"

"The people who kidnapped me."

Lowery rubbed his temples.

"Yeah, I got that. I mean _who_ kidnapped you?"

"Well, the blonde lady seems to be in charge. I think she's a witch or something."

Lowery frowned.

"A witch?"

"Yeah, she has magical powers."

Lowery pursed his lips.

"Viv, is this some kind of joke?"

"Naw. It's real. Is there such a thing as an Acristavelafrons?"

Lowery tapped his fingers along the side of the phone in confusion.

"Uh . . . No? There's acristavus and velafrons, but those are two different hadrosaurs . . ."

"Okay. So I think I'm, like, between those."

Lowery's eyes went wide.

"You're being held captive with two dinosaurs?"

Vivian scoffed.

"No, stupid! I _am_ the dinosaurs! I think I'm, like, a hybrid or something."

Lowery groaned.

"Okay, Vivian. This isn't funny."

"I'm not joking. The witch-lady made me a dinosaur. Look, can you just hand your phone to a policeman or something?"

Lowery shook his head.

"Vivian, I'm kind of stressed out. I don't have time for this."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. With a small crackle, Vivian sighed.

"Alright. I'm going to call you back in FaceTime. Answer me, okay?"

Lowery rolled his eyes.

"Okay!" he said patronizingly.

The line went dead. Lowery rocked back and forth on his feet idly. A few seconds later, his phone rang. He rolled his eyes and looked at the screen, expecting to see Vivian doing some sort of prank. Instead, a hybrid dinosaur stared back at him.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"I _told_ you!" Vivian stressed, "So, can you send help now?"

Lowery squeaked and nodded quickly.

"Good. Hurry up, okay? I think they plan to feed me to the shark-bat."

Lowery blinked.

"Shark-bat?"

"YES! SHARK-BAT! PAY ATTENTION! GOD!"

Lowery's lip quivered.

"Okay . . ."

There was a clanking sound on Vivian's end of the line. She turned her head and gasped.

"Gotta go. She's back. Don't let me get eaten, okay?"

"Okay?" Lowery squeaked.

Vivian slammed her foot on the phone to end the call. For a moment, Lowery stood frozen in place. The other survivors marched to and fro, completely oblivious to his predicament. Slowly, he lowered his phone and frowned in determination.

"Okay."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire screamed as she tumbled through the clouds. She was still changing, and although she didn't know the exact physics of falling dinosaurs, she assumed that this was a very bad thing. Not that she'd survive the fall as a human, but still . . .

"CLAI-AI-AIRE!"

Owen grabbed her tail before she could drift too far. She flung him forward and caught him with both arms, holding him against her chest like a panda might hold a clump of bamboo (while also falling to its death).

"OWEN, I'M SORRY!" she screamed.

"FOR WHAT?!"

"WE'RE BOTH GONNA _DIE_ BECAUSE OF ME!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S _MY_ FAULT FOR SUGGESTING THIS!"

"DON'T BLAME YOURSELF! NEITHER OF US COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING!"

Owen frowned.

"NEE-THER OR NIE-THER?!"

"DON'T QUESTION MY PRONUNCIATION WHILE WE'RE FALLING TO OUR DEATHS!"

They held onto each other tightly as they fell. Owen looked at Claire with tears in his eyes and pulled himself forward as far as he could manage without slipping from her grasp. He put both hands on her cheeks and pressed his forehead against her front horn.

"CLAIRE! I LOVE YOU! IF WE'RE GOING TO DIE, THAT'S ALL I WANT YOU TO KNOW!"

"I LOVE YOU, TOO! I'M SORRY YOUR CORPSE WILL BE FOUND NEXT TO A BIG, FAT DINOSAUR!"

Owen shook his head.

"WE'LL BOTH BE SQUISHED BEYOND RECOGNITION, BUT FOR THE RECORD, I DON'T MIND! YOU'RE THE MOST GORGEOUS DINOSAUR I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MEAN THAT!"

"I DO! YOU STILL LOOK LIKE YOURSELF, ONLY YOU'RE A DINOSAUR, AND-"

Claire wailed.

"OWEN, WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"I KNOW! I THINK WE'VE ALREADY MADE THAT CLEAR!"

"HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO REACH THE GROUND?!"

"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT I'M NOT ABOUT TO WASTE OUR LAST FEW MOMENTS TOGETHER!"

He leaned forward and kissed her. Despite the fact that they were about to be pummeled into a pancake-shaped pile of blood and intestines, she let herself get wrapped up in the gesture. She was so wrapped up, in fact, that she didn't notice the rapid vibration that spread across her back, almost instinctually. It was Owen who first came to the realization that they weren't exactly falling anymore. He pulled away from her mouth and peeked over her shoulder.

"What the hell? . . ."

Claire's plates were flitting back and forth in sequence as nimbly as a ladybug's wings. Somehow, this was causing them to hover in midair.

"You can _fly_?" Owen gasped.

Claire's jaw dropped.

"I . . . I can fly . . ."

Owen frowned.

"Why didn't you _TELL_ me?"

"Hey, I'm just as surprised as _you_ are!"

Owen climbed up her snout and sat comfortably on her face, using her horns as armrests.

"Well, this is oddly convenient. Do you mind setting us down somewhere?"

Slowly, Claire adjusted her plate-beats so that they were able to reduce their altitude at a steady rate. As the ground grew closer and closer, Claire scanned the prairies for a safe place to land. There was nothing but open fields for miles.

"Well, at least we didn't land in any major cities," Owen muttered.

"Not that anyone would be afraid of 'Cowzilla' . . ." Claire sighed bitterly.

"Hey, don't say those things. You're a perfectly lovely hybrid dinosaur," Owen asserted, patting her cheek gently. He pulled away when she rumbled in warning.

They landed gently, parting the yellow grass as they made contact with the sweet, sweet ground. Claire's plates grew still, and she took a deep breath. Owen slid down from her face and looked around.

"Well, there aren't a lot of options from here on out. Wanna wander around aimlessly for a bit?"

Claire nodded.

"I think that would be best. I don't know where we are, but we'll need to find food and shelter."

Owen gave her a quick glance.

"What if you can't change back?"

"You'll have to find a place to stay, and I'll wait nearby. There's enough grass here to fill me up, if need be," she said with a trace of reluctance. Owen looked at her sadly.

"Claire, I don't want to force you to eat grass . . ."

Claire shrugged halfheartedly.

"It doesn't need to be grass. I can find some berries or flowers-"

Suddenly, she shuddered.

"It's happening again . . ."

She shrunk down to her regular size. When she was done changing, Owen helped her to her feet.

"You okay?"

Claire nodded.

"Yeah . . . It's just weird that I've had two quick changes in one day."

Owen smiled.

"Well, at least this means you won't have to eat grass."


	6. Dragon's Hoard

Ellie stepped over a pile of Jar Jar Binks figurines and made her way deeper into the dense tangle of miscellaneous objects. Elkay's hoard was indeed quite impressive, filling the majority of a large cave. It was like a shrine to ancient pop culture, a veritable cathedral of nerdism that would put the most avid collectors to shame. The junk was stacked in large towers, some reaching the ceiling. I would be nearly impossible to sort out the mess in less than a week, never mind a day.

"So, why exactly do you have this cave? . . ." Ellie asked, staring up at the colossal pyramids with awe. Elkay's head popped out of a nearby pile, making her jump.

"Well, you tend to pick things up over the course of a trillion years, give or take. The oldest stuff is near the back, I think."

Ellie picked up a receptacle that was shaped like Christian Bale's head.

"Why do you own a Batman bucket?"

Elkay shrugged.

"Because it's gimmicky, I imagine. Who knows what I was thinking when I bought it?"

Ellie tossed it to the side.

"There's some really weird shit here."

"Yeah, but at least I don't collect gross things like toenail clippings or jam jars . . . I think . . ."

Ellie flew over the mess, searching for the missing armor. She landed on a stack of papers and picked up a silver helmet.

"This is armor, but it's plastic."

Elkay hopped over daintily.

"Yeah, that's just a replica of Ragnar Sturlusson's armor from The Golden Compass. I had a son named Ragnar, once . . ."

"I know. What kind of armor are we looking for, exactly?"

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"Well, it's definitely gold. I remember that much. There's a helmet, a neck-thing, the main part, the shoulder pieces, the leg-braces, the wing protectors, and gloves. I don't think it had chain mail, but I could be wrong."

Ellie rolled her eyes and stepped through an open door, which was standing upright in the middle of the room. She saw a blue shape leaping around near the back of the cave.

"Found anything, Zebil?" she called.

"No."

Ellie sighed and made her way around another mountain of trash. She pushed a broken bicycle to the side and picked up an old book. Blowing the dust off the cover, she squinted and read the title out loud.

"The Silliest Land Before Time-"

Elkay snatched the book from her hands.

"SHHHHHHHHH! Don't say it out loud, or I'll have to go through with it."

Ellie rolled her eyes and picked up another book.

"You did one for Blues Brothers?"

Elkay nodded.

"Mhm. Someone stole my first draft."

"What happened to it?"

"The thief made some edits, and it ended up sucking harder than a Hoover."

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"You mean they actually made an adaptation?"

Elkay nodded.

"Yup. Haven't you ever heard of Blues Brothers 2000?"

The sound of two drums and a cymbal echoed across the room. Zebil popped up from behind an old sofa.

"Sorry. I knocked over a drum set."

Ellie dug through the pile some more and gave a deep sigh.

"Nothing. Not even a single piece. Do you have any idea where you left it?"

Elkay shook her head.

"For all I know, it could be scattered. We might have to clone ourselves to find it in time."

"Don't clone us."

"I'm _kidding_!" Elkay laughed, "There can only be one of each god. We're special."

"Are you badmouthing clones?" Ellie asked jokingly.

"No. I'm just saying it would be freaky to share the same genetic makeup with another person."

"What about twins?"

"We don't have twins."

"My mom is a twin."

Elkay blinked.

"Liar. I just checked, and there are no twin Sattler's."

"She changed her last name. Search for Tiptree."

Elkay blinked again.

"Ah. Okay. Is that Fern?"

"Fern is a different aunt."

"Jesus, Ellie. How many aunts do you _have_?"

"I could ask you the same thing about your children."

"They only have a few aunts."

"That's not what I- Wait, you have _siblings_?"

"Yeah, a couple. Why?"

Ellie shrugged.

"I just never knew, that's all."

They dug through the garbage for a little while longer. Ellie picked up a framed flower and rotated it in her hands.

"Would knowing more about you make me feel better, or would I be less sympathetic towards your attitude?"

Elkay took a moment to respond.

"Looking at all of these objects, or even at the things I've done during my lifetime, you could very well draw the conclusion that I am a bad person. This is true. I'm not a good person, but that's not what matters. What matters is _why_. I am the way I am for many reasons, and although they don't excuse my behavior, I can't ignore the fact that it's not solely my nature that defines me. That's why I have hope for my future. The actions of others are, in part, what made me into a monster, but that means that the kindness of my friends can reverse the effect. I'm not unchangeable. I just needed someone to help me realize that I wanted to change."

Ellie was about to give an insightful reply, but she picked up a green keychain and frowned in confusion.

"I heart my collie?"

Elkay examined the keychain with interest.

"Hm. It's possible that, at one point in my life, I owned a collie."

"Found it!" Zebil called from across the cave.

"The armor?" Ellie asked.

"No, the collie."

Elkay cringed.

"How decomposed is it? . . ."

A lively little dog bounded over a pile of trash and pounced on Ellie, licking her face merrily. Elkay lifted the dog's identification tag and read the engraved name.

"Pretzel? Geez, no wonder I forgot about you!"

Suddenly, Zebil tore across the cave. Elkay pricked her ears.

"Did you find my-"

"Bernie crashed the plane."

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Oh god. Are they-"

"They're safe, and so is the pilot, who landed a few miles away. I'd suggest we go looking for your characters, but that's exactly what Spurr wants. Her plan is to flush you out."

Ellie frowned, utterly perplexed.

"She's Asterparan. She could just search for me. And what's her motive?"

"No idea," Zebil mumbled, "But you could find out . . ."

Ellie felt The Star pulsing in her chest. She let it drift out of her body.

"I don't know if that would be wise," she said, holding the relic in her hands, "What if I drain my energy? I might need all of my magic to fight, if it comes to that."

Elkay lowered her head.

"Ellie, I think you put too many limitations on yourself. Is there a way to reverse your power-siphoning?"

Ellie's expression became serious.

"Yes, but I'm not telling you how."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll go through with the reversal. I shouldn't have my powers back. I'm still at risk for corruption."

Elkay sighed.

"I know you aren't going to give in. What do you propose we do?"

Ellie put The Star back in her chest.

"We'll just continue the story as planned. We can rescue Claire-"

"Excuse me, but why the hell can't you have power?" Zebil interrupted, "You never told me why you put these stupid limitations on yourself."

Ellie and Elkay shared an awkward glance.

"Trust me, Zebil. I know what I'm doing," Ellie said quietly.

The tiger snuffed in frustration and padded away. Elkay dipped her head down and nudged Ellie's shoulder with her beak.

"You're doing the right thing. You're being responsible. That's a step up from when _I_ was Queen, I'll tell you _that_ much . . ."

Ellie sat down and hugged her knees.

"This isn't going to get any easier, is it? Whenever I explain my actions, someone always ends up getting mad at me."

Elkay wrapped her tail around Ellie's waist and rocked her back and forth.

"Don't worry about that. No matter what you do, whether you're a god or a normal human being, your choices will never make _everyone_ happy."

Ellie closed her eyes.

"I know. I have to make sacrifices. I'm just glad I spend the same amount of time with my family. That's the one thing I can take pride in. But it's only because I have a lot of free time, now that Robin doesn't hang out with me-"

Elkay dropped Ellie suddenly. She landed in a pile of stuffed cats.

"Robin hasn't forgiven you?!" Elkay spat.

"She's still mad about Orange," Ellie muttered, plucking a kitten from her wing.

The dragon paced back and forth in agitation and distress. This news was apparently mind-boggling to her. Ellie couldn't imagine why.

"She always bounces back from these kinds of things!" Elkay declared, reading Ellie's mind (figuratively).

"Not this time. She's still upset," Ellie said sadly.

Elkay tapped her claws against the cave floor rapidly, her ears moving around like broken satellite dishes.

"Shit, shit, shit. Now you don't have a best friend."

Ellie shrugged.

"I have plenty of _other_ friends. Besides, if Robin won't handle this maturely, I don't really want to be bothered by her bitterness and jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Elkay echoed.

"Yeah. She's thinks she's been replaced by a bigger, yellower reptile."

Elkay frowned.

"I'm not a reptile. Neither is she. Anyway, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your friendship."

Ellie shook her head.

"You didn't do anything wrong. After I refused to revive Orange, she started looking for excuses to hate me. I don't like being made the villain."

Zebil poked his head through an ornate picture frame.

"Yes. That would be really terrible. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be viewed as a villain," he said robotically.

"Did you find my armor?" Elkay asked, sidestepping his not-so-subtle remark.

"No. But we should probably feed the dog."

He pointed to the collie, who was chewing on a discarded copy of Felidae. It looked up at them with big, brown eyes and cocked its head. Ellie rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she stared at the lonely puppy.

"I think I have an idea . . ."


	7. Barnaby

Claire and Owen wandered across the prairies for hours. It wasn't until the sun had begun to set that they saw the first sign of civilization. It was a quaint little ranch like one might see in an old wood etching. There was a large log cabin, a barn, a broken-down tractor, several wide fields, and a rickety old fence surrounding it all. The entrance was a sight to behold; the archway was made of rusted iron, or at least some kind of very sturdy metal, and the letters above the gate read "Badger Ranch". Claire proceeded to read these words out loud, at which point Owen made a snarky remark about how he could read it on his own. She retorted with a comment that she was too tired to remember, and they proceeded to have an argument over something trivial before agreeing to calm down and decide on a course of action.

After a few minutes of halfhearted bickering, they came to the conclusion that the only suitable option was to speak with whoever lived on this lonely patch of land, unaware that this would prove to be one of the worst decisions since pretty much anything InGen had come up with.

They limped over to the lonely shack, tired and worn. Owen lifted his fist wearily and knocked on the door. It wasn't his muscles that completed the action: he let gravity do most of the work. His exhaustion was quickly forgotten when an old, grizzled man appeared at the door with a shotgun in his hands.

"Whaddayer want?" he asked, pointing the barrel at Owen's face.

"Oh god!" Owen gasped, "Look, we don't want any trouble. Our plane crashed-"

"And I suppose you want to stay here for the night?" the man grunted.

Claire pulled Owen away gently.

"Um, no. We just want directions to the nearest town, if that's alright . . ." she said evasively.

The man scanned them both with eyes like coal. His mouth twitched slightly under a thick, silver beard.

"You can stay," he muttered, lowering his weapon, "I just don't want no cattle rustlers on my property. They steal livestock, you know."

Claire smiled.

"Oh, you're a farmer?"

The man shook his head.

"Naw, I don't have no cows. No horses either. Just my badgers."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"Badgers? . . ."

Suddenly, a ball of fur scuttled up to her and started growling savagely. She shrieked and jumped backwards, nearly falling off the front porch. Buried deep in the tangles of the animal's matted coat were two beady, black eyes and a foaming mouth. The badger turned to Owen and started clawing at his pantleg.

"Pay no attention to Muncher," the old man chuckled, "He has rabies, but I wouldn't worry 'bout it unless he punctures your skin."

Owen was sweating profusely, trying to strike a balance between being polite and kicking the crazy animal away from his leg. The man seemed oblivious to his plight, however, and tipped his hat back casually.

"Name's Barnaby."

Claire flinched as he spat chewing tobacco on her shoe.

"I don't take too kindly to strangers who show up 'round these parts. Spec'ly dem queers."

Owen leaned backwards.

"Uh . . ."

"But you two look like the straight type, so I s'pose I can let you stay the night. It's gettin' late, and I dun wanna miss my program, so you'll have to just head on up to the guest bedroom and settle down without botherin' me. I don't think none o' my badgers are in there right now."

He shoved them through the door before they could protest.

"You can make a call in the morning. The phones only work when the temp'ture goes over ten outside, anyway."

He dragged them across the front entranceway and herded them through the living room, past an illuminated television set. Claire nearly choked when she saw footage of Isla Nublar on the screen. Barnaby snorted and looked at the images with disgust.

"Did y'all hear that dem dinosaurs got loose? It's Satan's work, I tells ya! The whole thing's a government conspiracy to make us believe that the dinosaurs actually existed."

Claire's eye twitched.

"You . . . You don't believe in dinosaurs?"

Barnaby laughed very loudly. Owen flinched as a few droplets of spit landed on his face.

"Coursn't! The Bible du'un mention no dinosaurs."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mention cats either," Owen muttered under his breath.

Barnaby didn't seem to notice his comment. He appeared to be half deaf, so it wasn't surprising. Instead of replying, he simply ushered them up to the guest room. When they were inside, he pointed to the twin beds.

"This is where you'll be sleeping. The bathroom is down the hall, so don't be poopin in my good sheets."

Claire laughed, but then she realized that he was serious. She let her giggling trail off awkwardly.

"Now, y'all go to sleep," Barnaby grunted, "My program is on soon, and I wanna see what happened to those people at the dinosaur park. They deserve whatever they get, those minions of Satan. I tells ya, if I were to run into one of them, I'd blast their head off with my shotgun."

Claire looked like she might wet herself. Luckily, Barnaby wheeled around and smiled before slamming the door shut.

"Goodnight!"

And then he was gone.

***TSJWFEW***

Vivian lifted her head as her prison was illuminated by the light of an open door. The woman with purple hair dragged a long stick across the bars of the neighboring cells, making a hideous racket. When she reached Vivian's prison, she stuck the rod between two bars and rattled it back and forth. Vivian shrunk away and placed her front feet over her ears. With a deep sneer, the woman dumped a bucket of oats into a feeding trough and slid it through a small flap near the bottom of the cage.

"Are you hungry, you big, fat horse?"

Vivian blinked.

"I'm a dinosaur."

The woman rolled her eyes.

"I know. I was being condescending."

Vivian sighed.

"Okay. Whatever."

She stuck her face into the feeding trough and began to lap up the oats. The purple-haired woman watched her with a deep frown.

"Aren't you the least bit upset that you're a hybrid dinosaur?"

Vivian shook her head.

"No. I'm being rescued."

"By whom?" the woman laughed.

"Lowery. He's coming to find me. He won't be alone. He'll call the cops."

The woman cackled cruelly.

"You really think he can help you?"

"No. That's why he'll call the cops."

The woman smiled and leaned forward, pressing her face between the bars.

"No one can save you. You're all alone, and you're going to die."

Vivian licked up the last of her oats.

"Sure. Okay. Do you have any more of these?"

The woman stood up straight and crossed her arms.

"You're the worst prisoner ever."

Vivian snorted angrily.

"Look, I've been through a lot. If you're not gonna bring me more oats, please find something better to do. I really don't want to talk right now."

The woman chuckled and skipped away. Vivian flinched as she slammed the door shut. Once again, the room was completely dark. The wind whistled shrilly as it blew through the cracked stone walls. The breeze washed over Vivian's back. She shivered and lay down on the cold cement floor.

"Please hurry, Lowery," she whispered, "I don't think I can hold on for much longer . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen rolled over in bed and sighed. He couldn't get to sleep. Maybe it was the uncomfortable mattress. Maybe it was the blaring television set downstairs. Most likely, it was the picture of Jesus hanging near the foot of his bed. Something about the painting really creeped him out. The artist had chosen to draw the prophet's teeth in an unnaturally straight position, almost like someone had inserted comedically large dentures into his mouth. One of his eyes was slightly off center, yet he stared at Owen like a poorly-painted hawk. Of course, Owen was beyond questioning the artistic taste of this strange, badger-loving man, but it was terrifying, nonetheless.

Owen sighed and turned to face the other bed.

"Claire?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Are you awake?"

"No, I'm talking in my sleep, dipshit."

She rolled over and looked at him sadly.

"Owen, this place gives me the creeps . . ."

"Are you being watched by the Jesus painting too?"

Claire shook her head.

"I'm more concerned with Mary over there . . ."

She pointed to an equally terrifying picture of the Virgin Mary, who had unintentionally large lips and a unibrow.

"This place is creepy, Owen. I don't feel safe. I think Barnaby is insane."

Owen shrugged.

"Lots of people are insane. We only have to deal with him until morning."

Claire bit her lip.

"We might be in danger."

Owen reached over the gap between their beds and touched her shoulder.

"Everything is going to be okay. What could possibly go wrong overnight?"

Claire frowned.

"We're in an isolated area with a man who hates dinosaurs and happens to be insane. I'm a woman who was actively involved with the institution he despises, and I could become a dinosaur at any moment. Do the math."

Owen let his arm drop.

"It's okay, Claire. These kinds of people are all talk and no action. I had a friend whose aunt was a creationist, and nothing bad happened."

"Was this aunt also a lunatic? Did she own a rabid badger?"

"She had a terrier with kidney stones . . ."

Claire sighed and rolled onto her back.

"Something's terribly wrong with this man. I'm getting a real bad vibe from him. He strikes me as the kind of guy who has a skeleton or two hidden away in his basement."

Owen shook his head.

"You're being paranoid."

"He said he wanted to shoot my head off, Owen!" Claire whispered furiously.

"Well, not _you_ specifically . . . Kind of . . ."

Owen bit his lip as he heard Claire sniffling. Slowly, he got out of bed and lay down beside her.

"Claire, it's going to be okay."

She squeaked.

"No, it isn't! We're stuck in the middle of nowhere with a crazy person and the only other living being we can trust is a magical wing-lady who hasn't even shown us a sign for at least five hours."

Owen ran his fingers through her hair.

"Shhh. Things will get better. We've been through worse . . ."

Claire shook her head.

"No. What happened at the park . . . that was _normal_ compared to this. At least we had the dinosaurs on our side."

Owen frowned.

"Yeah, but most of them were trying to eat us."

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.

"That's not what I . . . Look . . . The thing is . . . I don't know how to say this . . ."

She took a deep breath.

"I can understand them. Sort of."

Owen scratched his neck.

"You can understand dinosaurs? I guess that makes sense. What did my raptors say?"

Claire shook her head quickly.

"No, no . . . It doesn't work that way. I can only understand herbivores. I hated being around them, because they reminded me of what I was."

Owen wrapped his arms around her.

"But you're not really a stegoceratops . . ."

Claire closed her eyes tight. Tears trickled down her face.

"It doesn't matter what I am. I have to go through every day knowing that it's out of my control. If something sets me off, I'm totally defenseless. I'm nothing more than an animal."

"You're much more than an animal."

"Try saying that when I'm a dinosaur," Claire laughed bitterly.

Owen laced his fingers through hers.

"I'll gladly say that when you're a dinosaur, because no matter what you are, you're still you, and I _love_ you."

Claire didn't reply. Owen looked away, but found that both Jesus and Mary were staring at him. He winced and turned back to Claire.

"What did the dinosaurs say to you?"

Claire shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Owen nodded.

"Okay. I won't make you. Anyway, if you're really worried about Barnaby, we can sneak out the window-"

Claire laughed.

"Owen, we have nowhere to go."

"You could fly us somewhere."

After a brief pause, Claire's face hardened.

"Owen, I'm not your chauffeur. This is a serious problem, and we are _not_ going to treat my condition like it's something that can be conjured up to get us out of trouble."

She continued to glare at him angrily until she realized that two horns were emerging above her eyebrows. She squeaked in fear and tried to push them back into her head. This only made them grow faster. Owen's eyes went wide.

"It's alright, Claire. Calm down. I'm sorry," he whispered quickly.

Claire continued to breathe in short gasps. Owen ducked out of the way as a horn grew dangerously close to his face.

"Claire . . ."

She was sprouting a tail. Owen put his hands on her cheeks and looked into her eyes.

"Claire, you can control this. Don't let it take you. Focus on me, okay?"

She whimpered. He kissed her half-formed beak.

"Just focus on me . . ."

He stared into her eyes intently. She stared right back. Slowly, the transformation subsided. The horns were sucked back into her skull, and her tail disappeared as well. She sighed with relief and placed her forehead on Owen's chest.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I shouldn't have upset you."

Claire shook her head.

"It's been a long day for both of us. Things will look better in the morning."

Owen smiled and ran his hand down her side.

"I'd better get back to my own bed. Something tells me that Barnaby would freak out if he thought we . . . you know . . ."

Claire chuckled.

"Yeah. We'll have to wait until we get home for _that_ . . ."

Owen hadn't been expecting a remark as open as the one she gave him, but he had to admit, he was feeling a little better now that he knew the exact status of their relationship. He kissed her one last time before slinking back into his own bed and wishing her a good night's sleep.

They smiled warmly at each other as they dozed off, separated only by the bedside table. Eventually, Owen's eyelids grew heavy, and he began to drift into a gentle slumber. Before he could fall asleep, he heard Claire whispering to him once more.

"Owen . . ."

"Mhm?" he hummed.

"Run, Claire."

His nose twitched in confusion.

"What?"

"That's what the apatosaurus said to me. 'Run, Claire'. She knew my name."

Owen took a deep breath.

"I guess they're smarter than we thought."

"I guess so."

***TSJWFEW***

Downstairs, in the kitchen, Barnaby dialed a very long number on his phone. He held it up to his ear, keeping an eye on the hallway.

"I think these are the people you're looking for, Ms. Spurr. What do you want me to do with them?"


	8. Robin Rage

"What do you _mean_ you won't come out?"

"I'm boycotting our friendship."

"That's not even possible! You can't boycott a friendship!"

"And _you_ can't tell me what to do!"

Ellie paced back and forth in front of the door to Robin's flat. The happy little collie followed her erratic movements, wagging its tail as it tried to keep up with her.

"Look, Robin, you have to come out _sometime_ ," Ellie growled, "You're being very immature, even for you."

"I am NOT being immature, Mrs. Poopypants!"

Ellie gnashed her teeth and balled her hands into fists.

"Come out, Robin," she said warningly.

"No!"

Ellie sighed and rubbed her temples. She inhaled through her nose and placed her hands in a prayer position.

"I offered you a dog. What else can I _do_?"

Robin stomped her foot, making the ground shake.

"You can bring Orange back."

Ellie flapped her wings sharply.

"Is a dog not good enough?!"

"Oh, I'm _taking_ the dog!"

A yellow paw whipped out from behind the door and dragged the whimpering collie inside. Ellie flinched as it slammed shut again. She looked at her feet, then lifted her head a little.

"Please, Robin. I don't want us to be mad at each other forever."

"You should have thought of that before you let my cat die."

"SERIOUSLY?"

Ellie trembled in fury, then stormed down the hall before she had the chance to _really_ lose her temper. Once she was outside, she screamed and started punching a tree to vent her anger. Unfortunately, she didn't know her own strength, and it cracked in half, landing heavily in the middle of the road. Ellie sighed, dragged it into the grass, and wandered down the path.

"Why can't she forgive me? I did nothing wrong . . ."

She smiled politely as two raptors gave her a questioning glance. Running a little more rapidly, she broke off the main path and headed into the forest.

"She's just sour about Orange. She'll get over it."

Ellie darted between the trees. She grabbed a low-hanging branch, ripped it from its bow, and began to twist it in her hands.

"It's only temporary. It's only temporary."

She emerged on the other side of the jungle and began to pad across the field, changing into a raptor along the way. She tossed her knotted branch to the side and ran at full force.

"Robin always bounces back. Always. It's just taking longer than usual-"

She screeched to a halt when she saw a baby raptor sitting in the middle of the field. She sighed deeply and scooped him up.

"What are you doing so far from home, Felix? Don't you know that Charlie will be worried sick about you if you disappear into thin air?"

'Boo!' the raptor cooed, lifting his arms playfully.

Ellie shook her head and sent the raptor back to the Valley on a magical cloud. He stared at her with amber-colored eyes as he drifted away. Ellie flapped her wings and changed into a swan. She soared over the island at a low altitude, keeping her eyes open for more trouble.

"She'll bounce back. She has to. She has to. She has to . . ."

Ellie looked up as a dark shadow blotted out the moon. Elkay fluttered down from the starry sky and flew beside her.

"Hey, Ellie! How did your talk with Robin go?"

Ellie looked away.

"Not good. We're still angry at each other, I guess. How's Claire?"

Elkay frowned.

"Alright, Mrs. Topic-Avoider. I'll tell you how Claire's doing when you answer this question: If your talk went so badly, why did she take your collie?"

Ellie scoffed.

"Because she's Robin. She likes animals and is surprisingly good at holding a grudge. How is Claire?"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"She's fine. I made it halfway through the chapter, but stopped to come find you. It's no big deal. Claire and Owen are okay for now. They're with some weird creationist, though . . ."

"Who?"

"Barnaby, I think his name was. Yeah. He's a real nutcase."

Ellie exhaled sharply.

"Great. Now people will think I'm against creationism."

"Which is kind of ironic, since you're God now."

Ellie didn't respond. She had a lump in her throat, and tears were stinging her eyes like tiny droplets of fire. Elkay drifted closer to her.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Ellie sniffled and wiped her eyes with her webbed feet.

"I don't know. I just thought I could make things better with Robin, but she's still mad at me. I want to be friends again. Everything is so hard . . ."

Elkay had nothing to say. She simply flew by Ellie's side, opening her mouth every once in a while to start a new conversation, but closing it every time. She gave a little jump, however, and pulled a phone out of her ear.

"Zebil's texting. I sent him to spy on Spurr."

Ellie turned her head.

"Is it safe?"

"Who cares? He's a giant, blue tiger. He can handle himself, even if it isn't."

"What does the text say?"

Elkay cleared her throat.

"Halfway to the Spain of JW. Just read chapter. Barnaby is a real coot! Lol. I hope you've investigated those last few lines. Could be trouble. Wouldn't want him to attack Owen and Claire while they're gleeping."

Ellie cocked her head.

"Gleeping?"

Elkay twisted her beak.

"I think he meant 'sleeping'."

Ellie nodded.

"Makes sense. What does he mean by 'those last few lines'?"

Elkay shrugged and pulled out a manuscript.

"Sounds like he has reason to believe that Barnaby is dangerous. Based on the stuff I read, he's just a weird, old- HOLY SHIT HE'S WORKING FOR SPURR!"

Elkay tugged on Ellie's tailfeathers, bringing her to a stop in midair. They landed on the ground and read the parchment with wide eyes.

"Oh god. Oh god. He's gonna try to kill them! I just know it!" Ellie gasped.

"Don't panic. Nothing's happened yet. We have time to reach them before he attacks," Elkay blathered.

"How do you know?"

"I DON'T! I'M JUST TRYING NOT TO FREAK OUT!"

Ellie waddled back and forth.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's fly over to the Jurassic World . . . World . . . and see what we can do. Where are they at?"

Elkay searched through the interdimensional files.

"Um . . . Tennessee. Where's Tennessee?"

"South of Kentucky."

Elkay snapped her fingers.

"Right! . . . Where's Kentucky?"

Ellie frowned.

"Seriously?"

Elkay tapped her toes.

"You know what? Let's just use Google maps. Are you ready to go?"

"I'm not about to start packing a suitcase . . ."

Elkay snorted.

"Yeah, alright. Hop on."

Ellie demorphed and grabbed Elkay's horns. With a powerful beat of her wings, they soared into the sky. They were going so fast that they didn't notice the yellow allosaurus who looked up at them sadly as they zipped through the interdimensional portal, headed for a different but similar world.


	9. Jerbowen

Owen frowned and shifted in bed. Something was draped across his chest, and it seemed to be poking his cheek. Confused, he felt the object with both hands. It was solid in places, but rough and squishy in others. It appeared to be some kind of branch . . .

As his hands wandered over the structure in full, Owen's eyes shot open. He was holding a stegoceratops tail. Across from him, on the other bed, Claire was fully stegoceratopsian and deeply asleep. Owen lifted her thagomizer off of his chest and let it drop to the floor with a heavy "thud". He shuffled over to her sleeping form and poked her side.

"Claire?"

She gave a little snort and rolled over. Owen climbed up on the bed and poked her harder.

"Claire."

She mooed deeply. He jabbed two fingers into her belly.

"CLAIRE."

She grunted and pushed him away gently with her front foot. Her beak parted in a wide yawn, and she opened her eyes unevenly. When she saw him sitting beside her, she frowned in confusion.

"Owen, what's going on? I'm trying to sl-"

She caught sight of her elephantine foot. Owen clamped his hand over her mouth before she could scream.

"Shhh. Don't panic. You'll wake Barnaby."

Owen blinked as he felt tears running over his hand. He pulled it away and saw that Claire was looking rather distressed.

"Owen, I'm sorry," she choked, "I must have been having nightmares and I . . . I changed. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry . . ."

He stroked her muzzle and pressed his forehead against her cheek.

"Shhh . . . Shhh . . . It's not your fault . . ."

She hiccupped.

"If Barnaby finds me like this, he'll kill me for sure."

Owen rubbed her front horn.

"Don't say that. We'll be fine."

He held her as she mooed in short bursts, which was probably the stegoceratops equivalent of sobbing. He patted her head helplessly, trying to comfort her and keep her quiet at the same time.

"Claire, don't cry," he whispered, "Please . . . I can't watch you cry when you've done nothing wrong. Don't cry. Don't cry, Clairebear . . ."

She blinked away her tears.

"Clairebear?" she giggled. Owen gave a half smile.

"Yeah. Would you rather have another nickname?"

She nuzzled his shoulder.

"'Clairebear' is fine."

Their tender moment was interrupted when they noticed a light in the hallway. Claire fell silent and placed her front feet over her beak in terror.

"What's all the noise about?" Barnaby grunted from the other side of the door, "Did I hear something moo?"

Claire winced.

"Shit . . ."

"Is anyone gonna answer me?" Barnaby barked.

"Um, yes!" Owen chirped, "Everything is fine. I just . . . have a stomach ache . . ."

Claire shot him a questioning look. He shrugged sheepishly.

"I'm coming in . . ." Barnaby growled.

Owen dashed over to the door and locked it.

"Sorry, you can't."

"Why not?"

"We're . . . naked?"

Claire cuffed him.

"Owen!"

"Well, it's _kind of_ true . . ." he said, pointing to her scaly body.

They both jumped as Barnaby kicked down the door. Claire saw a shotgun in his hands, and something inside of her snapped. She bolted for the other side of the room, forgetting that there was nowhere to go. Before she could stop herself, she jumped through the window. Her rump got stuck halfway through. In the second she took to wiggle out of her uncomfortable position, she saw a bright flash. Then, she popped through the window and slid down the roof. She landed on a conveniently-placed mattress, sending up a flurry of white feathers. Before she could catch her breath, the ground erupted into a cloud of dust as Barnaby shot at her, and she ran away fearfully. He continued to shoot, pausing only to reload his gun. One pellet nicked her frill, leaving a small cut on the edge. She trumpeted in terror and continued to run across the open plains. When she was out of range, she paused to catch her breath. As she stood panting in the grass, knees bent, she remembered a crucial detail of her escape.

"Owen!"

She had left him behind. He was back at the house with Barnaby. Oh, god. He was probably already dead!

"Owen . . ." she sobbed.

"I'm right here!"

The tiny, high-pitched voice made her jump. As she did, it came again, louder this time.

"Stop moving around so much! I'm having trouble holding on already."

Claire suddenly became aware of a set of tiny claws digging into her tail. She lifted her thagomizer and turned around to examine it. There was a small rodent clinging to her scales. She shrieked and flung him off.

"Ow! Claire! What are you _doing_?!" he asked in his squeaky little voice.

Claire's eyes went wide.

"OWEN?!"

He brushed himself off.

"Yeah, it's me. I think I'm a rat or something . . ."

Claire shook her head.

"You're a jerboa, Owen."

"A what?"

"A jerboa. They're nocturnal rodents found primarily in Australia or China or Connecticut or something."

Owen scratched his massive ears with his back foot.

"Okay, but how do I change back?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"How you got to be this way in the first place!"

Owen's whiskers twitched. He curled his long tail behind him in puzzlement.

"I think Barnaby changed me. He had this weird stick . . . I'll bet it was a magic wand!"

Claire winced.

"Speaking of Barnaby, we ought to get going. If he finds us, we're in big trouble."

Owen flicked his tail back and forth.

"But if we run away from Barnaby, I won't be able to change back!"

Claire frowned.

"Would you rather be a living jerboa or a dead human?"

Owen considered this.

". . . Fine. But I don't want to be an animal for much longer."

Claire frowned.

"Welcome to the club."

***TSJWFEW***

Barnaby growled as he ran his hand over the tracks left by the hybrid dinosaur. He would have had her, were it not for that stupid mattress outside of the window. Someone was helping her . . .

"BARNABY!"

He jumped as a voice called to him from out of nowhere.

"Where are ya? Who's talking?" he croaked.

"It's Julia Spurr, you moron!" the voice hissed, "Where is the stegoceratops?"

"How are you talking to-"

"ANSWER ME!"

He gulped in fear.

"I lost her. She left tracks, but once they reach the canyon, they'll be trotting over solid rock."

Spurr growled.

"Listen, Barnaby. If you don't find them by the time they reach the mines, I'll be forced to send in a bigger dog. You don't want that."

Barnaby gulped.

"I shot the girl. She's bleeding. I can have one of my badgers sniff her out . . ."

Spurr's voice came again, as cold as ice.

"See that you do."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire and Owen hiked all the way to a vast canyon. It was still dark out, but the sun was beginning to rise over the hoodoos in a pink glow. They journeyed across the badlands, headed for nowhere in particular. Claire found that she was slightly more nimble than most four-ton dinosaurs, as she was able to hop from rock to rock in order to cross the gaps along the trail. This made it easy for them to cover a lot of distance in a short amount of time.

As they traveled further and further from Barnaby's house, Claire felt her nervousness melting away. This lack of stress allowed her to change back to her usual shape. Unfortunately, Owen wasn't so lucky. He had fallen asleep in her arms, still a jerboa, albeit one with a beard. She stroked his flappy ears as she walked along the trail. Even though she wanted him to change back, she had to admit that he was rather cute.

After a few paces, they reached a dead end.

"Owen?"

He opened his beady little eyes and blinked a couple of times.

"What?"

"We're lost."

They were standing on a narrow cliff that circled a large, red rock formation. There was nowhere left to go.

"We'd better turn back . . ." Claire mumbled.

"Wait," Owen interrupted, "There's an old coal mine over there!"

He pointed to a cave. At the mouth, an old-timey minecart waited on a rickety track. Claire took one look at it and laughed.

"Owen, we can't use that cart! It could be dangerous."

Owen snuffed.

"I know. We can just walk through the caves on foot. I'm sure there's more than one exit."

Claire shook her head.

"What if we get lost?"

"We won't. I have a great sense of direction."

Claire strutted over to the mouth of the cave.

"It looks dark. We won't be able to see."

Owen climbed up to her shoulder and started tugging her hair.

"Check the cart for a lantern or something."

Claire swatted him away.

"Ouch! Don't pull on my hair!"

"Sorry. Just search the cart, okay?"

Slowly, Claire leaned over the edge of the minecart and looked inside. There was an old straw bag, a few lumps of coal, and what looked like a half-eaten hat. There was certainly no lantern, which meant that it would be foolish to enter the cave.

 _BANG_!

The sound of a shotgun made Claire jump. As she did, she fell over the edge of the cart and landed inside. To her horror, it started moving. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and Claire felt something heavy sitting on top of her.

"Yes! I'm back!" Owen cheered as he examined his human hands.

His celebration was cut short, however, when another shotgun blast rang through the cave. He yapped in fear and ducked deeper into the cart, which was starting to roll at an alarming speed. Claire risked peeking over the edge and saw that the tracks were on a downwards slope.

"Owen, I have good news and bad news."

"Yeah?"

"We're going to be able to outrun Barnaby."

"And the bad news?"

"We'll probably crash and die."

They screamed as they rolled faster and faster down the tracks. It was too dark to see, and Claire had a sneaking suspicion that the roof of the cave was only a few feet above them. Thankfully, they zipped into an open area, which was lit by oil lamps. Claire didn't have time to question where they came from, however, for the tracks turned sharply to the right, and she found that she had trouble hanging on.

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

They switched directions again, and Claire saw something horrifying. Barnaby had somehow taken an alternate route to end up where they were headed. As they zoomed past, he dropped a badger into their cart. The animal hissed and clawed at Owen's face.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Claire tried to slap the badger away, but ended up hitting Owen instead.

"OW!"

"Sorry . . ."

Suddenly, the tracks dipped down like some kind of crazy roller coaster. All three occupants of the cart screamed at the top of their lungs as they plunged into the abyss.

"WHO DESIGNED THIS TRACK?!" Claire shrieked.

They continued to scream as they rattled through a series of dark tunnels. Claire heard a high-pitched squeaking sound and realized that they had woken up a colony of bats. She felt leathery wings fluttering against her skin and shuddered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the badger being overcome by the animals, falling out of the cart with a foamy roar.

"The badger's gone!" she announced.

"Uh, Claire? We have bigger problems . . ." Owen gulped.

Once again, Barnaby had pinpointed their location. He stood on a dark ridge, pointing a strange stick at them. Claire ducked out of the way as a beam of light shot from its tip. She thought Barnaby had missed, until a very small and fragile Jerboa-Owen landed in her lap.

"Aw, shit!" he squeaked.

They continued to chug along the track noisily, moving out of Barnaby's range. Thankfully, the track seemed to be on less of a slant now. Claire shifted so that she was able to peek out the front of the vehicle. She immediately regretted this decision. There was a huge drop coming up. It seemed to be nearly perpendicular to the horizon. There was a fifty-fifty chance that they wouldn't be able to slow down before reaching it.

"Quickly! Lean against the back!" Claire commanded.

"Um, I probably weigh less than a pound, Claire . . ." Owen grumbled.

She ignored him and proceeded to lean backwards, hoping that it would be enough to slow them down. Luckily, it seemed to be working. They came to a stop at the precipice, teetering precariously on the crest of the track.

"Don't move a muscle . . ." Claire whispered.

The cart seemed to be fixed in place. Claire exhaled.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Owen said, hopping down from her shoulder, "Let's get out of-"

When he crossed over to the other end of the cart, they both realized that his less-than-a-pound weight was enough to tip them forward. The cart shot down the tracks at a breakneck speed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

They dropped into another tunnel and emerged outdoors. When Claire's eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight, she saw that the tracks ended abruptly over a deep canyon. Below was a wide river. They were done for.

"OWEN!" Claire screamed.

He clung to her face, but was soon pushed away by a growing horn. His face brightened.

"Wait a minute! Fly, Claire!"

She whimpered.

"I don't think I can."

He swung over her horn and sat on the ridge of her growing nose.

"Change all the way! We can fly to safety!"

Claire closed her eyes and concentrated. She let the fear enhance her transformation. Before she knew it, she was sprouting plates.

 _CRACK_!

It was too late. The cart fell away from her body, and she found herself spiraling through the air, only half-changed. Her plates started to buzz a few seconds before she plunged into the rushing water. A cloud of bubbles escaped her beak as she screamed. Then, she felt a sharp pain, and everything went black.

***TSJWFEW***

Barnaby paced back and forth on the edge of a flat rock. He had seen the hybrid and her rat fall into the river, which meant that they would probably be dead within a few minutes. Even so, he knew that these dinosaurs were tricky animals. It might be a good idea to make sure that they were one hundred percent deceased. With a crooked grin, he jogged back to his barn, grabbing his aviator goggles along the way.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire awoke to the sound of a high-pitched sniffling. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling rather dizzy after her fall. She was still a stegoceratops, and she was lying on her side like a seasick rhinoceros. She was cold and wet, but her pounding head was the real cherry on the sundae of discomfort. When her double-vision cleared, she saw a very distressed jerboa sitting on a rock.

Owen had his face buried in his hands, and he was shaking miserably. At first, Claire thought that he was shivering with cold (indeed, his fur was jutting out in wet spikes), but a gentle sobbing proved her wrong. She scooted closer to Owen and poked him with her tail.

"You okay?"

He jumped in surprise. When he saw her staring back at him, he rushed over and hugged her front horn, which was almost twice his size.

"You're alive!" he cheered.

Claire grunted and shook him off.

"Of course I'm alive, you dodo! Didn't you check for a pulse?"

He ignored her sardonic remark and wrapped his tiny rodent arms around her beak, weeping openly.

"I thought you'd drowned!"

"Thought or hoped?"

Owen wiped his eyes and smiled.

"Don't ever die again, okay?"

Claire nodded.

"I'll try not to."

She stood up with great difficulty. Somehow, she had scraped her knees, and they were stinging like crazy. Owen was no better off. Although he was miraculously uninjured by the fall, he was shivering profusely, and with his minimal body heat as a jerboa, that could mean trouble. Claire promptly scooped him up and let him climb onto her forehead. He spread himself out along her frill to dry off in the sun.

"I guess this means we have to find another way to get back home, huh?" he squeaked.

Claire was too tired to reply.


	10. Even Tigers Get The Blues

Zebil crouched down behind a pillar as a group of guards marched past him. He had managed to infiltrate Spurr's secret fortress in Madrid, but thus far, he hadn't discovered much of her plan. All he knew was that she had a legion of loyal soldiers on her side.

As he crept past another pack of armed men, Zebil felt an exhilarating rush. It reminded him of when he would sneak out of his cave as a kitten to see the hanging caterpillars that only turned visible at night. It had been well worth it, and he brought back the glowing creatures on more than one occasion, impressing his parents. Of course, the animals often died in his care. Pity. In any case, what he was confronted with now was far more intimidating than fire-spitting caterpillars.

When he rounded the corner, Zebil noticed a wide window that overlooked a huge, white chamber. Inside, a monstrous hybrid screeched as a woman with purple hair tried to fasten a muzzle on her. The animal looked like a mix between a shark and a seal, only it had leathery wings, a long crest, a beak with teeth, and dinky little talons between its flippers. More puzzling still, it had long, black hair and very humanoid eyes. The creature's face was soon covered by the muzzle, however, which had blinders like one might see on a carriage horse. Zebil shrunk away as the monster roared, tossing its head and sending the men who were trying to restrain it flying. A husky guard dashed over and shocked the animal with a taser. It went limp, groaning miserably.

Padding away from the strange sight, Zebil snuck through an open hallway. When he heard someone coming, he ducked into a ventilation shaft and continued to prowl across the building from above. A colony of rats parted as he drifted through the ceiling. He gave them a nod and continued on his way.

He soon reached a dead end, and decided to let himself drop into a strange prison environment. Hearing a light clicking sound, he peeked around the corner and frowned in confusion. A man with dark hair and a mustache was trying to use a hairpin to unlock a cell. Inside, a beige dinosaur with pink spots, blonde hair, and a glowing crest tapped her toes anxiously.

"Forget the pin! Find a key!"

"They wouldn't just leave a key lying around . . ."

Zebil rolled his eyes when he saw a set of keys hanging on the wall. With an internal sigh, he opened the lock with his magic.

"Ha! I _told_ you I'd get it!" the man beamed, "Follow me. We'll make a break for it!"

Zebil waited until they were out of sight. When he was sure they were gone, he climbed into another vent and snuck across a wide stretch of ceiling. Just when he was about to exit again, he heard Julia Spurr's voice in an office below.

"They're still alive. Dearing's tracking device pinged a few miles away from the river. She's on the move."

Zebil peered through the grating and saw Spurr sitting at her desk. She had her back turned to him, but he could see the woman she was talking to as clear as day (not that it was hard to miss a purple-haired teenager whose wardrobe looked like the worst of the eighties incarnate).

"Like, whatever, Mom!" the girl snorted, "She's probably gonna die anyway!"

Spurr shook her head.

"Wrong. The Starbearer and the piss-colored dragon are helping her."

Hearing her talk about Elkay in such a vulgar tone made Zebil protract his claws. Oh, how he wished that she were here to defend herself. Had she heard the remark, she'd probably come up with a clever retort, such as "How appropriate, because _urine_ trouble!". He'd have to remember that one.

"Mom, I gave that putrid man my wand. What else am I supposed to _do_?"

"Get the mozaradon ready. We're going to find Barry. By the time we're done with him, we can intercept Balenor."

"Balenor? The Starbearer is calling _Balenor_?"

Spurr nodded.

"I've sent Bernie to prevent Balenor from rescuing Dearing, but in all likelihood, he'll probably die. That's fine, he's expendable, but I need a backup plan."

"And will I get my wand back?" the girl asked sourly. Spurr put her hands on her shoulders.

"Yes, child. Of course. You must have patience, dear, if you're to be a Queen."

Ah, so _that_ was her plan. She was trying to steal The Star from Ellie. Little did she know that it was bonded to her . . .

"Oh, I'm well aware of that, Zebil."

Zebil's eyes went wide. Before he could retreat, Spurr grabbed him with magic and dragged him down into the room, pinning him in place. She chuckled lightly as she stepped around him.

"You didn't think you were the only one with a manuscript, did you? . . ."

Zebil struggled to fight her magic, but she was too strong. He roared in fury as he thrashed around on the carpet, batting his claws around uselessly.

"You can't hold me forever, Spurr! I'm part of an elite group of highly-trained individuals, and our prowess is enough to-"

Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

Zebil giggled.

"Hahaha! 'Doyouthinkhesaurus'! I just got it!"

Spurr stared down at him in disbelief.

"Wow. World domination is going to be easier than I thought . . ."

The purple-haired girl stomped her foot.

"My wand, Mummy!"

Spurr glared at her with an ice-cold stare.

"One more word out of you, and I'll kill you on the spot."

The girl shrunk away, knowing that her mother was dead serious. Spurr turned back to Zebil with a sneer.

"And as for _you_ , I hope you don't have any plans for tonight, because you aren't going to make it home."

Zebil gulped.

"W-well . . . you're going to regret saying that . . . because . . . um . . ."

Spurr stared down at him with her arms crossed, unimpressed.

"While you finish that thought, I'll have my guards lock you up."

She pressed a button on her desk. Zebil felt his whiskers droop sadly.

"By the way, congratulations on releasing the acristavivafrons," Spurr said mockingly, "She's trying to escape with her little companion. They've stolen my sentient helicopter."

Zebil bit his lip.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to know just how much of a failure you are, even compared to pathetic, insignificant humans."

Zebil blinked.

"You're kind of mean."

Spurr smiled.

"You have _no_ idea."


	11. Hound Dog

"I spy something blue," Owen muttered as he sat pronated on Claire's forehead.

"Owen, I haven't been playing your game for fifteen minutes. In fact, I haven't been playing at all."

He ignored her snarky comment and rolled over miserably.

"I spy something green."

Claire rumbled angrily.

"It had better not be me."

"It's you."

Claire tossed her head. Owen tumbled to the ground. He stood up and began to hop beside her.

"I don't know why you're so sensitive about it. I mean, you got off easy. I'm a _rat_. At least _you_ have a decent figure."

"Me? No."

"You're like a plush, cuddly panda."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Wow, I thought you were being genuine, but it turns out you're just an idiot."

Owen scoffed.

"Why can't you take a compliment? You should be glad that I at least care about your well-being, whereas _you_ seem to have no issue with the fact that I'm a jerboa, or that for me, it's permanent."

Claire stopped walking. She gave a little shudder, feeling her muscles tensing in a preemptive attack.

"Listen, Owen, I'm not trying to make light of your situation, okay?" she growled with venom, "The simple fact is, I don't particularly want to be shot and hung on Barnaby's wall like a trophy buck, so you can just put a sock in it and deal with your situation until we find a way to get back home."

Owen's whiskers twitched in agitation.

"Fine, Mrs. Know-It-All. By the way, we may have to meet up with Barnaby again."

"I refuse to-"

"I spy his house. We're back where we started."

Claire turned to where he was pointing. Sure enough, Barnaby's ranch loomed in the distance. For a moment, Claire couldn't speak. She simply sat down and stared at the property with a blank expression. Owen waddled up to her slowly and placed his paw on her front foot, trying to snap her out of her trance.

"Claire? . . ."

He jumped back as her tears landed beside him. Because he was so small and she was so large, they got him very wet.

"Claire, don't cry," he pleaded.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"This is my fault."

Owen shook his head.

"No, Claire. I was just venting. It's really not-"

"It's my fault the Indominus got out, it's my fault we crashed, and it's my fault we're stuck in the middle of nowhere."

"Claire-"

"And it's _really_ my fault that you're a jerboa. If it weren't for me, you'd be back home, completely safe. I screwed everything up. I've ruined your life."

Owen shook his head. His ears flapped uncontrollably as he did.

"No, Claire, don't say that. We're a team."

Claire lay on her stomach and placed her front feet over her face.

"I knew it was a bad idea to get close to you. Now you have to suffer with me . . ."

Owen blinked.

"Oh, wait! Is _that_ why you didn't want to go out on a second date? Were you trying to protect me?"

Claire sniffled.

"No. It was because I thought you were an asshole."

Owen pursed his lips.

"Oh."

Claire pulled him towards her and pressed him against her cheek.

"I don't think you're an asshole anymore, though. I love you Owen, and I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

Owen smiled.

"Claire, you didn't drag me into this. I came willingly. Besides, I'd rather be here with you than out there on my own."

Claire hiccupped.

"But you're a jerboa-a-a!" she sobbed.

Owen hopped up on the ridge of her snout and lay himself flat on his belly. He held her cheeks with his paws and rubbed his face against hers.

"It's fine, Clairebear. We'll find a way to get me back to normal. Same for you. I don't care how long it takes. I promise I won't give up on you. Not now, not ever. I love you too much to leave you."

Claire whimpered. Owen kissed her scales.

"Don't be sad, Clairebear. We're in this together. Okay?"

She lowed uncertainly. Owen scooted forward on her face and looked into one of her eyes.

"Okay? . . ."

Claire shook her head.

" _Not_ okay! We're in _big_ trouble, Owen!"

"We can get out of it. We've had bad things happen to us before."

"Not like this."

Owen flicked his tail back and forth. Finally, he sighed.

"Fine. This is a _little_ unusual, but I'm sure we can work together and figure something out."

"How. How do you plan to fix this?"

Owen smiled.

"You're gonna have to trust me. Do you trust me?"

Claire bit her lip.

"Yes . . ."

"You sound unsure of yourself."

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I trust you, Owen."

He nodded.

"Good. Are you ready to go on an adventure with me?"

Claire gave the faintest of smiles.

"I think I am . . ."

He smiled and lowered himself to the ground.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Now, do you think you can change back soon?"

Claire nodded.

"I think so."

Owen smiled.

"Perfect. Believe it or not, I have a plan . . ."

Claire raised her eyebrow.

"How on earth did you come up with a plan?"

Owen shrugged.

"Maybe my mind is a steel trap. Maybe I'm secretly a genius. Or maybe I saw a motorcycle by the barn and decided that it would be a good place to start."

***TSJWFEW***

Barnaby scanned the landscape from his open-cockpit plane. His scarf fluttered as he made a wide loop, searching the ground for any trace of the hybrid dinosaur. As he soared over the canyon, he did see something moving through the fields by his house. Instead of a dinosaur, however, he saw a redhead woman on a motorcycle. Although he was too far to make out specific details, he was damned sure that somewhere on the vehicle was a small rodent giving her instructions.

With a furious growl, Barnaby adjusted his plane's altitude and whipped out his shotgun.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire clenched her teeth nervously as she sped down a dirt road. Owen clung to the front of her shirt, his ears flapping in the wind.

"You're doing good. Just keep up your speed, okay?"

Claire could feel her palms sweating. She hoped to god that she could hang on long enough to make it to civilization.

"Owen, we should be wearing helmets!" she wheezed through the wind that blew in her face.

"We don't exactly have helmets available to us, Claire," Owen snuffed, "You're just gonna have to make do with what we've got."

"Which is nothing."

"Exactly."

As they tore down the road, Claire became aware of a deep humming coming from behind them. Her first thought was that they were being joined by a second motorcycle, but then the looming shadow of an airplane appeared in front of them. Claire winced.

"Owen, is that a friendly plane?"

He peeked over her shoulder.

"Um . . . You should probably try to outrun him."

Claire screamed as she heard a shotgun blast. She leaned forward and tried to drive faster.

 _BANG!_

"OHGODWE'REGONNADIE!" she wailed.

"No, we won't!" Owen asserted, "Just keep going faster!"

She did as she was told, but after a few seconds, she slowed down.

"Owen, we're both idiots."

He blinked.

"Why's that?"

"He's in a plane. It would be easier to lose him if we were going _slower_ than him."

They rolled to a stop. They could just barely hear the sound of Barnaby cussing as he flew by.

"He'll be coming back around," Owen said grimly, "We'd better figure something out before he does."

Claire nodded.

"We could hide in the brush, but if we do, we won't have access to the motorcycle."

They watched as the plane started to turn.

"Let's keep riding," Owen said quietly, "Moving target, and all . . ."

Claire leaned forward on the bike. Before she could get rolling, something incredible happened. A giant bloodhound leapt up over the horizon and swallowed Barnaby's plane in midair. Claire and Owen watched with hanging jaws as the dog landed and chewed up the remaining scraps of metal.

"That is the weirdest thing I've seen all day, and I'm a jerboa," Owen gaped.

For a minute or two, all they could do was stare at the creature with awe. Then, it sniffed the air and whipped its head around, looking straight at them.

"We should drive," Owen said quietly.

"Yep," Claire replied.

They spun around and started speeding back the way they came. It wasn't long before the dog caught up to them, however. Being the massive creature he was, he covered a wide distance with only a few steps, and he darted in front of them, blocking the road. Claire screeched to a halt and jumped off of the motorcycle. Owen clung to her shirt in terror. The hound approached them slowly, dipping its head down so that they could see eye to eye.

"Greetings, Claire Dearing."

Claire's eyes went wide.

"You talk! You know my name! . . . YOU TALK!"

The dog gave a barking laugh. Claire crouched behind the motorcycle in fear.

"Of course I know your name!" the canine cackled, "I know a lot about you, Claire Dearing. I was sent here to kill you."

Claire gulped.

"Why? Why were you sent to kill me?"

"My employer, Julia Spurr, believes that you are the only one who can defeat the army of our ally, June."

Claire shook her head.

"Look, I'm not enlisting in any wars. You don't have to be afraid of me."

The hound snorted.

"Afraid of _you_? Oh, I'm hardly afraid of _you_! Without your precious narrator, you are _nothing_."

Claire stared up at him with a neutral expression.

"I don't know why I expected a giant talking dog to make any sense."

The hound frowned.

"Oh, Claire. There are things you don't know. You're just a small piece in a massive puzzle. No one will even miss you when you're gone."

"I will!"

Owen crawled up on top of Claire's head and put his paws on his hips.

"If you're gonna kill Claire, you'll have to get through _me_ first!"

"That's the idea . . ." the dog snorted.

As he prowled forward, mouth foaming viciously, Claire felt her last scraps of courage fluttering away in the wind. She backed away slowly, hoping for a miracle.

 _Poof!_

A purple-haired girl suddenly appeared from a sparkling cloud. She ran over to the dog and kicked his foot.

"Did you get my wand?"

The dog coughed up a small stick. It was covered with drool. The girl picked it up daintily with two fingers and grimaced.

"Ew, Bernie . . ."

The dog turned back to Claire and Owen. As he did, Claire began to change into a stegoceratops. The hound chuckled cruelly.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me. Are you trying to fight me off?"

Claire pushed one of her horns back into her head.

"No! I'm not trying to defend myself! It's out of my control!"

When her hair began to curl into a frill, the dog picked her up with his massive paw. She screamed in pain and began to instinctively whip him with her half-formed tail. He dropped her and gave a mocking grin.

"It looks to me like you're itching to fight . . ."

Suddenly, Owen leapt up from behind Claire's frill and began scratching the dog's nose.

"Leave her alone! She did nothing to provoke you!"

The hound batted him away, and he tumbled across the road. Claire dashed over to help him, falling on all fours along the way. She picked him up with her barely-human hand and shielded him from another attack.

"Owen . . ."

He shook himself off.

"I'm okay, Claire."

She held him against her cheek briefly before putting him down. She ran her front foot over his ears gently.

"Owen, run away. I'm going to distract him."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"Claire, no!"

"I agree with the rat," the hound bellowed, "It's not like I can't hear you, you know. Besides, no matter how far he runs, I will be able to track him down and squish him like a bug."

Claire shrunk away, now a complete stegoceratops.

"If you're going to kill us, make it quick."

The dog shook his head.

"I'm having trouble deciding which of you to kill first," he explained, "I know I want one of you to watch the other die, but I'm kind of torn as to who would be more emotionally crippled by it."

Claire tossed her head.

"What does it matter? We're both going to die, anyway!"

The dog rubbed his chin.

"That's a good point."

The purple-haired girl, who had finished cleaning off her wand, turned to her coworker with a deep frown.

"Oh my god, Bernie. Just kill them! You're begging for something to interfere with our plan!"

He pushed her to the side.

"Shut up! I'm trying to make this as theatrical as possible. What would _you_ know about a good show, anyway?"

The girl sneered.

"You want a show? I'll _give_ you a show!"

She waved her wand around in a graceful spiraling pattern, and four shadowy figures emerged from the ground. They twisted and contorted until they looked very much like velociraptors. At the witch's command, they stepped forward, hissing at Claire.

"Well, well, well. It looks like they're hungry for a meal . . ."

At the sight of the raptors baring their teeth, Claire felt her instincts getting the best of her. She curved her body into a crescent shape, swishing her tail back and forth in warning.

"Oh, joy. It looks like she's going to fight back for once!" the girl cackled.

Claire trumpeted menacingly as the demonic raptors began to circle her. She shook her body, and her plates snapped together, making a loud clattering sound. Owen peeked out from behind her leg timidly.

"Claire . . . Should I try to hold them off?"

She looked down at him with disbelief.

"Owen, you're four inches tall!"

He shrugged.

"Well, I can't let you fight them alone . . ."

Claire looked at him sadly.

"Owen, I have to-"

She was interrupted by the sound of a cheerful marimba. The purple-haired girl placed her wand under her armpit and answered her cellphone.

"Hello?"

She paused.

"Oh hi, Mom! . . . Yeah, I'm with Bernie right now . . . No, we haven't killed them yet . . . Well, I'm _working_ on it, Mother! . . . Just give me a second. God!"

She flicked her wand, and the raptors leapt upon Claire. One of them clamped its teeth around the bullet wound on her frill. With a grip like a vise, it twisted its head. Claire screamed in pain as a crack began to cross her frill like a fissure on an egg shell.

"SCREETSCREETSCREET!"

Owen clawed at the raptor's eyes, but it was immune to his attacks. With a distorted howl, it flung him off. Claire caught him in midair, released from the raptor temporarily. Another apparition launched itself at her side, however, and she tried to shake it off. Owen swung around her horn like a ball on a string.

"Claire, run!"

"I can't!" she wailed, feeling a terrible pain as a set of claws was dragged across her side.

"Claire! Claire! Claire!"

Owen erupted into a fit of random yelling. He had gone somewhat insane from being unable to assist her in any way, it seemed. Claire tuned him out after a second or two, because she was starting to lose consciousness. She could see her own blood mixing with the dirt below her. She was going to die. This was the end.

Of course, she could have been wrong, because the giant bloodhound and the purple-haired girl were fleeing.

But then she saw a flying whale getting ready to swallow her, and decided that she was right the first time.


	12. Character Mad

Elkay snarled angrily as Bernie and the purple-haired girl retreated.

"Behold, I am a dragon! Fear my beak!"

Ellie backhanded her leg.

"Don't overdo it. You can't possibly make this dialogue sound more forced than it already is."

"I believe I can," the dragon said sassily.

Ellie rolled her eyes and turned to Balenor, who was hovering a few meters off of the ground. The whale gave her a gentle smile.

'Claire and Owen are safe,' he informed her telepathically, 'I'll bring them to Cambodia, if that is what you require me to do.'

Ellie smiled.

"Thank you. If there's anything we can do to repay your kindness, let us know."

The whale gave her a deep bow and lifted off into the sky. Ellie watched him for a while before turning back to Elkay, who was nibbling on her own toes.

"You really ought to spend more time with him. He seems nice."

Elkay shook her head.

"Nah, he doesn't need a bad influence like me in his life. I'm not so good at parenting. Weird, considering I come from a long line of mothers . . . Ha!"

Ellie sighed.

"Well, you won't get better if you don't try. When this interdimensional crisis is over, we should have a family reunion or something."

"How do we figure out what kind of toilets to use?"

Ellie blinked.

"Is that really your primary concern?"

Elkay shrugged.

"Well, my kids and relatives are all so diverse that it would be impossible to find a uniform pooping system. And the dragons won't poop at all . . ."

"Dragons don't poop?" Ellie asked with disbelief.

"Mhm. Didn't you know?"

Ellie shook her head.

"I was unaware . . ."

Elkay laughed.

"Well, you ought to learn more about dragons, since _I_ know _you_ so well."

Ellie smirked.

"I find it hard to believe that you know-"

"March thirteenth, starfish, garden salad, 32-C."

Ellie crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah? December twenty-ninth, dishwashers, Aero bars, boobless."

Elkay cocked her head.

"Touché."

Ellie smiled mischievously.

"Round Two?"

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"Alright . . . Lizadora, Laura Dern, pink."

"Drulamere, not available, and yellow. Real original."

Elkay frowned.

"Fine, Mrs. Smartypants. Jeep Wrangler, peanut butter and jelly, Pepperbox Revolver."

"Corvette Stingray, peanut butter and banana, and I have no idea what you're getting at with the last one."

Elkay smiled and placed a small ivory-colored gun in Ellie's hands.

"It's your signature weapon. I decided that you needed a more distinct godly persona, so I had this made for you."

Ellie gave an awkward smile.

"Thanks, but I don't need-"

"I also got you a horse."

Ellie's wings drooped.

"Another one?"

Elkay nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Since you didn't like the first horse-"

"I never said that."

"-I decided to give you my old mare. Her name is Passarino Paladino, and she's a Palomino. The font on her brand-mark is Palatino."

Ellie stared up at the dragon blankly.

"I don't need a horse or a gun."

Elkay looked a little hurt.

"Are you sure?"

Ellie bit her lip.

"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to help me, but I just don't think that all of this gift-giving is the way to do it. If you _really_ want to make a difference, why don't you spend time with me and my friends?"

Elkay pawed at the ground guiltily.

"It's a nice thought, but I don't think it would work out. I'm responsible for a good chunk of their misery."

"They can learn to forgive you . . ."

Elkay smiled sadly.

"I don't want to interfere with your life. It's all well and good to forgive people like Henry and Lars and maybe even June, but you have to remember that I'm on a different plane. As a god, one must make decisions that affect the lives of others. Whether the result is positive or negative, someone will always get hurt. That's why I didn't criticize you for centering your story around Claire and Owen. It's easier to hurt strangers."

Ellie didn't say a word. After a moment, she spread her wings and tried to take off. Elkay held her back.

"Where are you going in such a rush?"

Ellie tried to pull away from her grasp.

"I need to find Balenor. I'm bringing them back."

Elkay held onto her tightly and rolled her eyes.

"Please don't tell me that you're going through an existential crisis relating to whether or not you deserve the power to make others miserable for the greater good."

Ellie wriggled in her fist.

"This is messed up. It's _so_ messed up. It's like-"

"Something _I_ would do?"

Ellie stopped struggling.

"That's not what I was . . . I didn't . . . Don't put words in my mouth!"

Elkay grinned.

"Like I've been doing for almost ten years, you mean?"

She dropped Ellie, who made no effort to get up. Elkay poked her as she lay in the dirt and groaned miserably.

"I'm a terrible person . . ."

Elkay pursed her lips.

"No, Ellie, you're not a bad person . . ."

"I told Yannick that I needed his personal information because he's the least popular character of the group and we need to make him more relatable."

"You were only trying to help . . ."

"He gets distracted by the color red and he's still suffering side effects from a hypnosis session he attended over sixteen years ago."

"That's not so bad . . ."

"And he listens to Nickelback."

"Yikes . . ."

Ellie rolled onto her back.

"I'm seeing my friends more as characters and less as people."

Elkay twisted her beak.

"That's not true. You spend a lot of time with your family."

"My family, yes, but my friends . . ."

Elkay lowered her voice, somewhat pointlessly.

"Are you talking about Robin?"

"She's trying to make everyone self-aware to prove a point," Ellie explained.

"Self-aware?"

"She calls herself Meg Ryansaurus, and is encouraging everyone to make me feel like an outsider because I know about meta stuff."

Elkay poked her, trying to get her to stand up. She didn't respond.

"I think the others are starting to shift to her side," Ellie continued, "Of course, Chris Evansaurus has no choice: they're married. My main concern is that B. D. Wongosaurus is going to join her, since they're such good friends now. If he turns, Halle Berrymimus will follow, because _she_ does whatever _he_ does . . ."

"What about Ian and Sarah?" Elkay asked.

"Well, they have an obligation to support Vanessa Lee Chesteraptor, so now that she and Haley Joel Osmentraptor have thirty kids, they're kind of stuck with me."

Elkay lifted Ellie up by her wings.

"Oh, nobody is stuck with you, Ellie. You just need to perk up a little."

Ellie sighed as Elkay tried to make her flap her wings cheerfully.

"Don't be sad, Ellie . . ." she cooed.

"I'm not sad! I'm tormented by the fact that I might be doing the wrong thing."

Elkay waved Ellie's arms around floppily.

"Aren't we all?"

Ellie tore herself away from the dragon and sat gloomily by the side of the road. Elkay watched her with a worried expression. After a moment, she crept up behind her and started singing.

"It's my day and I'm doing okay. I can make a difference in so many ways . . ."

Ellie crossed her arms grumpily.

"I don't have the patience to deal with you right now."

The dragon ignored her, scooping her up and tossing her into the air merrily.

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, cuz it's my choice to be hap-hap-happy!"

Ellie grumbled as Elkay continued to throw her around like pizza dough.

"Happy, Ellie! Be happy!"

"People are suffering . . ."

"Forget them!"

"Nations are at war . . ."

"Ignore them!"

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Julia Spurr is attacking us!"

"Pretend she- WAIT, WHAT?"

Before they could react, they were knocked down by a magic, flying net and carried away by a massive hovercraft.


	13. Balenor

Claire felt a tiny tongue being pressed repeatedly over the crack in her frill. When she sensed clawed paws shifting across her scales, she knew it was Owen. She opened her eyes and groaned.

"Don't lick it. It's going to get infected."

He paused and smiled down at her.

"Oh good! You're awake. Yeah, the whale said that it would help with the pain. I think it's, like, enzymes or something . . ."

Claire hummed.

"That's not how science works . . . Wait . . . WHALE?!"

Owen nodded.

"We're inside of him. He's taking us to Cambodia."

Claire realized that she was, in fact, inside a rather large mouth. She looked at Owen, who was smiling cheerfully, and put her front foot over her face.

"Owen, he's just saying that to calm you down. He's going to eat us."

Owen shook his head.

"No, he explained it very well. He's part blimp, so he can fly over to Cambodia and drop us off near that carving of yours."

Claire stared at him for a very long time.

"Owen . . . You can't be serious. Are you really that gullible?"

He smiled warmly.

"Claire, sometimes you have to trust people."

"Does that rule also apply to whales?" she scoffed.

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed through her head.

'I assure you, I mean you no harm. If I wanted you dead, I would have swallowed you by now. You can trust me.'

Owen crawled down to Claire's shoulder.

"He's telepathic, by the way."

Claire backed away slowly, but something moved under her foot. She saw a thick tongue and gasped.

'I'll thank you not to step on that. Whales don't usually have tongues, so I kind of value mine.'

"Sorry!" Claire squeaked.

'Oh, it's perfectly fine,' the voice boomed, 'I understand that you're nervous.'

Claire made an unstable whimpering sound.

'Here, why don't I show you something?' the whale offered.

Suddenly, Claire was blinded by a crescent of bright light. The whale had opened his mouth slightly. Claire shivered as fresh, cold air washed over her body. She was pushed forward by the whale's tongue.

'Go ahead. Take a look.'

Claire stepped up to his lips timidly. She peeked through the opening and gasped in awe.

"Wow . . ."

They were flying over the ocean, it seemed. The waves bounced and undulated below them, tiny and insignificant from such a height. White specks that must have been seagulls fluttered over the deep, blue water.

'Quite a sight, isn't it?' the whale said softly, 'I've been to many worlds, but your ocean is one of the best.'

Claire stared at the water with her mouth agape. It was gorgeous. She could feel the whale smiling at her amazement.

'Makes you want to take a swim, right? I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we reach our destination. Oh, hang on! We're about to pass by a couple of your friends.'

Claire frowned in confusion.

"Friends? . . ."

She looked up and saw a very unusual sight. A blue helicopter was flying erratically over the ocean in a loopy spiral pattern. Hanging from the aircraft by a long rope was a large, hybrid hadrosaur. On her back was-

"LOWERY?" Claire gasped.

"Hi, Claire! We just busted out of a high-security prison. We were-"

His voice cut out because of the helicopter's noise.

". . . with a hairpin," he finished, "How are you?"

Claire frowned.

"Lowery, I can't hear you! What's going on?"

He grinned.

"Well, I just rescued . . . and we ended up in the landing bay, where . . . turns out he was reincarnated as a helicopter! Isn't that crazy?"

"I'm sure it would be, if I could hear you!" Claire shouted.

"That's nice!" Lowery yelled, "I gotta go. We . . . Costa Rica to warn Barry about . . . her great-aunt is a starfish!"

Claire blinked.

"Okay? . . ."

"Bye, Claire! Good luck with your war!"

Claire nodded.

"Alright . . ."

She turned to Owen.

"Remind me to have him drug-tested when we get back."

The whale closed his mouth, and Claire sat back down.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked.

'Just wait patiently,' he replied, 'It will be a long time yet before we reach our destination.'

Claire nodded.

"Alright. I think I trust you."

'Good to hear.'

As she rolled onto her side, Claire felt her belly bouncing around with a deep sloshing sound. She winced and took a deep breath.

"When I get back to normal, I'm going on a diet."

Owen curled up near her chin.

"Another one? Does this mean you'll be eating salad all the time?"

Claire grunted.

"Of course not. I'm gonna eat a ton of meat when I get the chance. I don't want to be a herbivore for the rest of my days . . ."

Owen smiled and kissed her cheek. His whiskers tickled her scales, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Owen, you're really sweet."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you just saying that because I'm an adorable rodent?"

Claire bumped him with her front horn.

"You're always adorable, regardless of what you are."

"Same for you."

Claire snorted.

"Probably not now. I'm a big, fat cow."

"You're not a cow."

His point was somewhat undercut by the fact that her upper arm fat flapped slowly as she stroked his ears.

"I can't wait to feel like a human again," Claire sighed, "I'm going to take a long bath-"

"Can I join you?"

She pushed him over with a mocking smile.

"I'm going to take a long bath and use that green apple soap my sister got me. I was holding off on using it because it's kind of tacky and not all that good, but I've always loved the smell of green apples, so I think I can afford to treat myself to something a little below my standards."

Owen frowned sardonically.

"Claire, if your idea of a good time is using dollar store soap, we really need to get you out more often."

She smiled deviously.

"I'll need you to show me the ropes . . ."

"Gladly. I plan to take you dancing."

Claire smiled.

"Where?"

"Anywhere with disco. If I remember correctly, you have a certain fondness for 'Shake Your Groove Thing'."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Well, I _suppose_ I could give it a shot . . ." she cooed.

Owen grinned widely.

"Stand up. We're going to practice."

Claire blinked in surprise.

"Right now?"

Owen nodded.

"Sure. Why not?"

Claire shrugged.

"Well, I'm flabby and scaly and-"

"Horny?" Owen asked coyly.

Claire groaned.

"That was awful . . ."

"Come on," Owen urged, "Dance with me."

Claire cocked her head.

"I don't know if I can . . ."

Owen grabbed her by the nostrils and pulled her towards his tiny body.

"You can. If you're anything like you were in your office, you'll be spectacular."

He started swinging his minuscule rodent hips. Claire burst into laughter, but he pulled her closer.

"Come on, Clairebear. Dance with me."

She remained dead still, at first, but after a second, she began to shake her tail. She tried to do a toe-heel toe-heel kind of thing, but realized that she didn't exactly have traditional toes or heels, so she lifted her feet one by one and did a cancan. After a minute or two, she was actually kind of dancing.

"There you go!" Owen cheered, "That's what I'm talking 'bout!"

Claire smiled.

"Wanna spin?"

"Spin?"

She whirled him around with her horn. Owen grinned and pecked her cheek.

"Now I definitely have to take you dancing!"

It was then that Claire had a flashforward. Oh, she was certain that every woman did it at least once, but that didn't make it any better. Against her will, she pictured their life together.

It began with a proposal. Somewhere fancy, hopefully, or maybe out in the countryside, all alone. There was an idea! She pictured a sparkling ring. God, it was gorgeous. Which one of them would propose first? Would he be weirded out if she asked him? Oh, it didn't matter. As long as the wedding went smoothly . . . And oh god, the wedding! She'd have a lovely dress and they'd get married somewhere beautiful, like the sea. She could almost taste the salt air as the waves crashed against the sand. And people would be laughing and smiling during the reception. They'd have the best story to tell. "You see, it all started when we got into a crate to fly to Cambodia. What an adventure we had! That's when we knew for sure . . ."

And then married life. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a large house with a fireplace? Not one of those gasoline fireplaces, but a real one! . . . No, that would probably damage the house. Maybe they could have a firepit outside. Maybe they could have a swimming pool, too. That would be great if they ever decided to have kids. Speaking of which, how many would he want? One? Two? She probably couldn't manage three. And would they be boys or girls? Not that it mattered, of course, as long as they were well-behaved. She could see their little faces staring up at her with admiration and pride. She'd go to dance recitals, soccer games, graduations . . .

And then they'd grow old together. Maybe they could find a place in the countryside and retire there. As cliché as it was, she'd love to sit in a rocking chair on a porch and watch the sunset. They could hold hands and lean against each other and-

"Yoo-hoo? Claire, you home?"

She snapped to attention as Owen knocked on her skull with his paw. She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

She gulped.

"Nothing."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen had a nightmare.

He knew what kind of a dream it was before it even started. He had been here before, and not only when he was asleep. He was on a submarine. He was just above water, and a boat was sinking in front of him. He could see oil on the water, shimmering in a greasy rainbow. He looked across the gap between the boat and the sub, and he saw a group of sailors looking back at him. The last thing he saw was their eyes. Then, the world erupted into fire.

And then he was back in the jungle, looking at his raptor, who had those same intelligent eyes. There was a moment of recognition. She trusted him. She was waiting for him to save her. She didn't know that it was about to end. Owen braced himself for another disaster. He felt tears stinging at his eyes.

Just when he thought that the raptor was about to be blown to smithereens, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"Owen."

***TSJWFEW***

"Owen! Wake up, Owen! We're here."

Owen felt his nose twitching involuntarily as he opened his eyes. Claire was smiling down at him, and she was human.

"We made it!" she said brightly.

When Owen had shaken off the remnants of his nightmare, he stepped down from the whale's mouth. Claire thanked the creature for the ride, and also for not eating them. He gave a gentle smile and drifted off into the sky, becoming a tiny, gray speck in the wild blue yonder. When he was out of sight, Claire scooped up Owen and let him climb onto her shoulder. They trudged through the dense jungle, batting away the vines and hanging foliage. When they came out the other side of the trees, they found themselves standing on a tall cliff, overlooking a massive, misty valley. Below, a stone temple sat in the middle of an untamed land. They stared at the sight with awe.

"I guess this is it," Claire said quietly.

"I guess so," Owen whispered.

Slowly, Claire lifted her foot and took the first step of their adventure.


	14. Jemima

"Oh, tell old Jemima we won't be coming home. No, no, we won't be coming home toni-yi-yi-yight!"

Ellie plugged her ears as Elkay crooned miserably, filling the blank chamber with an echoey, distorted melody. The dragon was scratching small lines into the wall as if she were counting the days they had been locked up in Spurr's secret fortress. Of course, this made no sense, because they had been there for all of fifteen minutes. Even so, in that short amount of time, Ellie had decided that she really needed to escape, if only for the simple reason that her grandmother's singing was becoming unbearable.

"Oh, tell old Jemima, that sweet old Jemima-"

"SHUT UP!" Ellie snarled, "We need to find a way out of here!"

Elkay's ears drooped.

"I know you're anxious to leave, Ellie, but we're kind of in a white chamber with no windows and no visible doors. We can't exactly tunnel out."

Ellie paced back and forth.

"I know, I know. We just need to get out of here soon."

"Why?"

Ellie's wings twitched in agitation.

"There's- Well, it's just that- Oh, look! We're in prison. We shouldn't _be_ here. Do I really need a _reason_ to escape?"

"No, but it sounds like you _have_ one."

Ellie stopped pacing. She shuddered, sat down, and took a deep breath.

"I need a second to calm down. If I meditate for long enough, I can build up the energy needed to blast a hole in this wall. I'm going to enter a trancelike state. I'll wake up when I'm fully recharged. Until then, don't bother me."

Elkay dipped her head down.

"Why? Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Shush."

Ellie crossed her legs and closed her eyes gently, inhaling through her nose. Elkay half expected her to put her wrists on her knees like some sort of Buddhist monk. Soon, she was absolutely silent.

"Ellie, are you awake?"

She didn't answer. Elkay poked her gently.

"Ellieboo? You okay?"

She remained absolutely still. Seeing that Ellie would not allow herself to be disturbed, Elkay rolled onto her back and stared up at the white ceiling with boredom.

"One, one, two, three, five, eight, thirteen . . ."

She rocked back and forth.

"Two, four, six, zero, one . . ."

She let her ears sway dreamily.

"Nine, nine, nine, nine, nine . . ."

She stood up suddenly and spoke as though she was addressing someone.

"Are you there?"

There was no reply.

"I hope you can hear me, or read me, if that's what you're doing."

There was no reply.

"I know you from somewhere, Julia Spurr, and I'm trying to figure out exactly who you are."

There was no reply.

"You can speak to me. I won't tell Ellie."

There was no reply.

"You frighten me, you know. That's a hard thing to do. I'm not scared of much. I thought my greatest fear was myself, but I was wrong. You terrify me, and I don't know why."

There was no reply.

"Make no mistake, I _will_ fight you, if need be. I don't care what you are. If you lay a finger on Ellie, I will destroy you. Understood?"

There was no reply.

"I'm telling you for your own good. If you hurt her, you _will_ die."

There was no reply.

"You've been warned."

Elkay rolled onto her back and started wiggling around on the floor like a worm stranded on hot concrete. She didn't fare well in sterile environments. Her mind was like a clockwork monkey with cymbals; although there was not much point to what went on inside, it was both noisy and in constant motion. As such, it had to be kept occupied, no matter how shallow the distracting thoughts may be.

"It's my day and I'm doing okay . . ."

She scratched her ear.

"Never hurry and never worry . . ."

She nibbled on her toes.

"Inside my mind . . ."

She stopped suddenly and looked up. Although the wall was white, she could sense someone staring back at her.

"You're watching us, aren't you, Julia Spurr?" she whispered, "Oh, just you wait. Once Ellie is recharged, you'll see just how bad of a situation you've created. When she's focused, nothing can stop her."

Silence.

"I hope you're scared," Elkay said calmly, "But if you aren't, you damn well should be."


	15. The Bridge

Claire and Owen trudged through the jungle for a very long time. It was hard to walk in high heels, but Claire didn't have much of a choice. It was better to stumble every so often than to have a stick go through her bare foot by accident. Owen rode on her shoulder, slightly ashamed that he didn't have to actively participate in the hike. He muttered random words of encouragement as Claire descended into the valley like some sort of rodent life coach. It was the least he could do, even if it got annoying at times.

When they reached the base of the mountain, Claire took a fifteen minute break from their journey. Determined to make himself useful, Owen scurried through the jungle and came back with a bunch of grapes. Claire asked him where he got them, to which he replied that they had been growing on a nearby tree. Claire informed him that grapes grow on vines, not trees, and he had no explanation for this oddity.

They continued their trek until noon. It was then that they reached the perimeter of the temple. Owen had been braiding Claire's hair (after she taught him how), but he snapped to attention as he saw the structure silhouetted against the bright light of the sun. They wandered closer to the building and looked around. It was large, ominous, and somewhat neglected. There were many tall trees growing out of its walls, and Owen promptly climbed a tangle of roots to get a better look at their surroundings.

"I don't see anything. You?"

Claire swayed back and forth dreamily.

"No . . . But I think we should go _this_ way . . ."

She started drifting towards a wall, pulled by some unseen force. When she got closer, she noticed the stegoceratops carving that she had been looking for. She ran her hand over it with wonderment.

"This is it. This is why we're here."

Owen slid down from the roof and landed on her head.

"Alright, so . . . what now?"

Without thinking, Claire leaned forward and pressed her nose against the carving. Suddenly, the ground began to shift beneath her feet, and she was carried down into the ground by an ancient elevator.

"Cool," Owen mumbled, "Did you know that that was going to happen?"

Claire shook her head.

"Absolutely not."

The sound of grinding stone intensified as they descended into a dark chamber. Soon, they were far enough that it would be impossible to climb out. Claire mentally scolded herself for being so stupid. If there was no way up, they could be stuck underground for a very long time.

"Owen . . ."

"You could always fly out."

Claire frowned.

"My condition is not a tool," she said icily.

Claire stumbled as the platform reached the ground and stopped abruptly. She stepped down from the stone and stared into the darkness.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait for our eyes to adjust-"

Suddenly, a row of torches illuminated the tunnel. Claire watched them ignite with a hanging jaw.

"Okay then."

She stepped forward slowly. The sound of her heels clicking against the stone floor echoed for a very long distance. As she walked down the tunnel, the torches in front of her were lit by some sort of magic. Owen watched them with bright eyes.

"I know this is kind of serious, but this shit is worthy of Indiana Jones."

Claire flicked his nose.

They continued to walk until they came to a dead end. Attached to the floor was a strange relic. It appeared to be some sort of flower-shaped chalice. Water dripped into the cup from the ceiling, making no sound whatsoever. Claire bent down to examine it and saw that each drop disappeared as it hit the bottom of the cup. She noticed a needle behind the carved flower and reached out for it.

"Claire, what are you doing?" Owen whispered furiously.

Claire pricked her finger. She held it above the flower and let her blood drip into the clutch of petals. Suddenly, they were blinded by a piercing light that came from the wall ahead of them. The rock was splitting into a doorway. It crumbled away to reveal an open field.

"Woah . . ." Owen gaped, "How did you know to do that?"

Claire blinked.

"I have no idea."

She stepped into the field and stared at the sight that lay before them. The landscape was normal enough, but it led to a sheer drop. Beyond this cliff was a series of round mountains that peeked out from a deep, misty valley. Connecting these formations were dozens of rope bridges. Claire frowned in confusion.

"How did we not see all of this from the mountain?"

Owen pointed to the sky.

"Because we're still underground."

The sky was, in fact, a magic ceiling. It glowed blue, just like the real thing, but there was a certain falseness to it. It was almost like the roof of a theme park attraction: made to look like an open space. The only difference was that this "ceiling" spread out for miles.

"Claire . . . This is really weird."

"Says the talking jerboa."

Owen frowned and crossed his arms. Claire smiled sassily and made her way over to the first bridge. The structure swayed in the wind forebodingly, warning her that danger lay ahead. Claire took a deep breath and prepared to step onto it.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on!" Owen said sharply, "You can't just cross this bridge!"

Claire frowned.

"Why not?"

"Haven't you ever seen a jungle exploration movie?" Owen stressed.

Claire blinked cluelessly.

"What are you getting at?"

"The little wood bits could snap in half at any moment, and we'll fall to our untimely deaths."

Claire scoffed.

"Owen, there's a big difference between fiction and reality. As long as I'm careful, we'll be fine."

Owen tugged her hair as she made another attempt to move forward.

"Ow!"

Owen dropped her hair.

"If you're going to do this, you should crawl on your belly."

Claire rolled her eyes and got down on all fours.

"Alright. Happy?"

"Very."

Claire inched forward on her stomach like a polar bear would slide across ice. She could feel that the wood was strong enough to support her weight, but Owen was partly right about it being dangerous. The gaps between the planks were the perfect size for ensnaring high heels, and Claire once again felt a secret regret that she hadn't chosen better footwear. Of course, she hadn't had much time to think it through, because she hadn't been expecting any of this to happen in the first place.

"Eep."

Claire blinked. After a brief pause, she inched forward once more.

"Eep-eepeepeep-eep-eep!"

Claire frowned in puzzlement as Owen started making small chirping sounds. He was looking over her shoulder with fear and trembling like a leaf. After a second, Claire's face broke into a sassy grin.

"Oh my god. You can't be serious . . ."

Owen held onto her hair with white knuckles.

"I can't help it! It's so high, and I'm so very, very small . . ."

Claire grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and stood up.

"You afraid, little mousey-wousey?"

Owen shrieked.

"Claire, don't!"

She let him dangle over the side of the bridge. He covered his eyes and whimpered.

"Eeeeeeeee . . ."

"Oh, don't be so chicken. I won't let you fall."

Owen shook in terror and made small peeping sounds. Claire's face softened, and she placed him in her palm.

"Owen, you know you can trust me, right?"

He held onto her fingers like they were life preservers.

"I just don't like being up so high . . ."

Claire bit her lip as he continued to shiver. She stroked his ears gently and kissed him on the forehead.

"I won't tease you anymore. I promise."

Owen whimpered and crawled up to her shoulder, tucking himself under the strap of her tank top. Claire smiled and nuzzled him with her nose.

"We're going to be fine. You don't have to worry about a thing."

On her very next step, she fell through the plank.

Claire screamed at the top of her lungs as the wood splintered, and with a quick drop, she found herself hanging by her armpits. She started hyperventilating as her feet kicked below the bridge uselessly. Owen squeaked and pulled on her hair.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!"

"Ow! Owen, let go!" Claire hissed, "I'm perfectly fine. I can climb back up-"

Suddenly, she felt a wave of nausea.

"Oh, no. Not now . . ."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"What 'not now'? What are you talking about?"

Claire gulped as she felt herself becoming heavier and heavier. Quickly, she pulled herself back onto the bridge and wiggled forward on her expanding belly.

"Claire! You're changing!" Owen squeaked.

"I KNOW!"

She bounded forward, trying to strike a balance between covering a wide distance and not falling through again. Unfortunately, she snapped a second plank. This time, she was saved by her ever-growing frill, while the rest of her body dangled over the misty valley.

"Agh! Owen, help!"

She realized, of course, that there was nothing he could do. He was much too small to hoist her up, and she wouldn't have been able to reach him, even if he was human. The planks on either side of her head grew tighter as her neck swelled, and she began to choke. Owen squeaked shrilly.

"Claire! Oh god! Claire!"

He scurried to and fro helplessly. When Claire made loud choking sounds, he pulled on his ears and hopped around in panic.

"Claire, Claire, Claire, Claire, Claire!"

"Agh-gh-gh!"

Owen froze. With a twitch of his whiskers, he began to nibble at the suspension ropes.

"Whagh-hllr-doogck?!" Claire choked.

"You can fly!"

Claire's eyes went wide.

"Nogck-cank!"

The rope began to unravel. Owen climbed onto Claire's face and grabbed her horn.

"You can do it, Claire. Just focus on making yourself change faster. I believe in you."

Claire heard the rope snap. All of a sudden, she was in free fall. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to flap her plates. They clattered together noisily, but didn't provide any lift.

"GROW THEM FASTER!" Owen shrieked.

"SHUT UP! I'M TRYING!" Claire hissed.

Her plates began to buzz more quickly. It wasn't enough to lessen the fall, but it was a start. Claire closed her eyes and focused on her flight. She could feel Owen digging into her scales with fear. She snorted and tossed her head.

"Loosen your grip! You're hurting me!"

Owen didn't do as he was told. If anything, he held on tighter than before. Claire gnashed her teeth in fury. The anger made her forget that she was supposed to be flying. She screamed and beat her plates in pure rage. They were tumbling through mist now, and everything seemed to be grey. Claire tried to flap her plates in spurts, but it was no use.

"I can't fly! I've forgotten how!"

Suddenly, Owen climbed down her face and kissed her with his little jerboa lips. Claire's eye twitched.

"I thought it might help!" Owen squeaked.

"Owen, I don't understand you!"

Funnily enough, it _did_ seem to help. Claire felt her faux-wings fluttering daintily in the humid air. Of course, she was fully changed now, so that might have had something to do with her success. The two of them were already falling at a terrible rate, but Claire estimated that they had enough time to slow to a stop.

Just as this thought entered her head, the ground became visible through the mist. Claire shrieked and tried to pull up, but it was too late. They landed on a tall tree, which bent over halfway before catapulting them over the canopy. Claire grunted in pain as she bounced off of a tall rock and rolled down a hill. Owen clung to her face, trying not to be crushed or impaled. After a series of painful collisions, they finally came to a stop.

Claire moaned as she sat up, rubbing her head woozily.

"That's gonna bruise for sure . . ."

As she rolled into a seated position, Claire froze in shock. She stared ahead with her mouth agape, utterly flabbergasted. Owen slid down from her beak and hit the ground hard. He got up swiftly and put his hands on his hips.

"Ow! Thanks for catching me, dodo! What's the big id-"

She turned him around with her front foot. After a beat, his eyes went wide.

There, staring back at them, were over five hundred stegoceratopses.


	16. The Escape

Julia Spurr sipped her coffee serenely as she looked down at Ellie Sattler and her dragon. The two of them had halted the auto-narration, it seemed, in order to make their escape more practical. Little did they know that there was no way out. The walls were thick enough to withstand a blast of magic exactly like the one Sattler was planning. Even in her fully-charged state, she wouldn't be able to break out.

 _BANG!_

Spurr flinched at the sound, but smiled after a beat. The two gods were about to find out just how well-prepared her organization was. As she turned back to the digital window, however, her smile disappeared. The prisoners were gone.

Spurr wheeled around and grabbed her ebony phone, keeping an eye on the empty screen. A smoking blast-mark fizzled on one of the walls, clouding the roof with putrid smoke. Tapping her fingers along the spine of the phone anxiously, Spurr waited for her men to pick up on the other end. When they did, she hissed a sharp command.

"They're out of the Rest Cure Room! Find them!"

A cluster of guards jogged into the white chamber through a hidden door. Spurr slapped her forehead and growled.

"No, don't go _in_ there! They're already-"

She paused. Slowly, Spurr turned to the smoking blast-mark. She hadn't noticed that it wasn't so much a _hole_ as a _crater_. It didn't fully penetrate the wall, and it certainly wasn't large enough to have been created by a strong magic blast, which meant . . .

Suddenly, the prisoners made themselves visible, dropping down from the ceiling like spiders. They landed among the guards and took them out one by one before darting through the door. Spurr slammed her palm on a red button. A siren blared, and the facility turned blood-red under the glow of spinning lights. She checked her network of cameras and saw the escapees approaching a branched hallway.

"Prepare for a roundup. We'll cut them off at the end of the-"

 _HORK-SPLAT!_

Sattler coughed up a wad of dilophosaurus venom, covering the lens of the security camera with thick, grey goop. Spurr trembled in fury.

"Where do you want us to go?" a guard asked her from a telephone station.

Spurr caught sight of the two prisoners running down another hall.

"B Wing! They're headed for the B Wing!"

Her guards clattered down the hall, guns at the ready. When they reached the projected junction point, there was no one there. Spurr slammed her fist on the desk.

"Damnit! They're still using illusions!"

The head guard looked up at the camera, adjusting his microphone.

"Where are the-"

He was cut off when one of his men chopped the back of his neck. In the confusion that followed, the imposters took out the entire squad, then changed back to their true shapes. Spurr roared in outrage and screamed into the phone.

"Stop them! I don't care what it takes! Make sure they don't leave this building!"

Another squad attempted to cut the prisoners off. Sattler leapt upon the leading officer as a raptor, finishing him off with one bite. As she demorphed, she was tackled to the ground by a scout. She placed her heels on either side of his head and snapped his neck with her legs. The dragon, meanwhile, blasted several bursts of electricity, which hit the remaining men and left them convulsing on the floor.

Spurr was seething now. She could see that Sattler had acquired an additional weapon, and it was a deadly one. Although each barrel had to be loaded and set with a percussion cap, the pepperbox style revolver could fire six shots as fast as the trigger was pulled. This meant, of course, that six more men went down like flies. Headshots. All of them.

Before Spurr could warn her top-level guards of the danger, Ellie Sattler sprung up from the floor and did an upside-down split-kick into the control tower, knocking them both out. Elkay pounded the floor with her tail, sending blocky clumps of concrete flying. Sattler kicked the floating chunks towards the remaining guards, and punched the surveillance router with flaming fists. As half of the cameras went dead, Spurr felt her blood boiling. She opened a secret drawer and flipped a small switch. She could hear the click of her magical gravity-enhancing collars all the way from her office. Wherever the girl and her dragon were, they'd have their necks bound by a solid chain-

-which they were now using to launch each other up the East Tower, right outside Spurr's window. She could see them from across the street. It was almost as if they were taunting her. They swung each other up the wall like acrobats. When a cannonball was shot at them, they stretched out in different directions, and the iron sphere snapped the leash in half with a hail of sparks. Elkay swung her chain around a guard before bashing him against the wall and removing her collar.

The impact of the cannonball caused the tower to collapse, and both prisoners jumped up the falling rocks like vertical stepping stones. When they reached the top platform, Elkay spread her wings, deflecting a hail of bullets with a sharp _ratta-tat-tat_. Sattler swung out from behind her when she heard the sound of empty guns and eliminated the last few guards. An archer shot an arrow at her, and she caught it in midair before kicking it back and giving his neck some extra ventilation.

With the tower about to crumble away into nothingness, it looked like they would have a straight shot at the open sky. Without a second thought, Spurr launched her heat-seeking missiles. The weapons soared through the air, leaving a trail of white smoke behind them. They surrounded the tower, and the two prisoners seemed done for.

Suddenly, Sattler spread her arms. The missiles halted in midair. With a pained expression, she clenched her fists. The missiles rotated slowly. They stopped when they were pointed directly at the hub of the castle-fortress. With a deep frown, Sattler said a phrase which was inaudible from such a long distance, but judging by her lip movements, it was something along the lines of "Merry Christmas, motherfucker!". Then, she let the missiles fly, and they destroyed the most important edifice of Spurr's empire.

Through the billowing smoke and flaming debris, Spurr could make out the shape of a yellow dragon flying into the distance with a winged woman on her back. Slowly, she reached for her phone and dialed every available line until she found one that wasn't dead.

"Ms. Spurr? . . ."

"Was the Mozaradon destroyed in the blast?" she asked evenly.

"Um . . . No. She appears to be fine."

Spurr gave a slow nod.

"Good. Bring her out. We're going to enter Phase 3 of our plan."


	17. Flower

Claire's eye twitched. She had never seen so many dinosaurs in one place. The stegoceratopses were completely diverse, varying in size, color, and shape. As shocked as she was to see them, they were even more surprised by _her_ sudden appearance. A thousand unblinking eyes bore into her like light from a magnifying glass, and she felt even more exposed than before. Part of being a hybrid dinosaur was sticking out in a crowd, she supposed, but even in a crowd of her own species, she felt uneasy. At the very least, they weren't attacking her, so that was nice . . .

A burly, black stegoceratops with grey markings and a broken horn pushed through the crowd. When he saw Claire, his jaw dropped.

"She's here!"

Claire's eyes went wide.

"You talk! . . . Oh, _of course_ you talk. Look, we don't want any trouble-"

She flinched as the black stegoceratops knelt down in a deep bow. The others did the same. Claire sat paralyzed on her rump, unsure of how to respond.

"Um . . . I was just trying to cross the bridge, but I fell on my- . . . on the ground . . . Why are you bowing?"

The black stegoceratops looked up at her with confusion.

"Well . . . You're our queen."

Claire blinked.

"Queen?"

The stegoceratops nodded.

"Yes, of course. You have the third horn."

He pointed to her face. Sure enough, she was the only dinosaur in the valley with a nose-horn. She placed her front foot over it self-consciously.

"Look, I just got lost. I really didn't mean to fall down here."

"Our scout saw you in the forest," a plum-colored stegoceratops piped up, "We expected you to come- to come looking for us, but we didn't expect such a- such a fantastic entrance. We knew you were capable of falling from the sky, but it's another thing to see it happen in real life- in person. We thank you for not riding a ball of fire. You are very- very, uh, kind to have thought of our safety."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"Um . . ."

"We are humbled in your presence," the black stegoceratops whispered, "You are the most astounding creature we have ever seen."

Claire blinked.

"Um . . . Thank you . . ." she said, nearly blushing.

Owen hopped over to the black stegoceratops and adopted a casual stance.

"Hey, buddy. Since I'm kind of tagging along with your queen here, do you mind explaining to me what's going on?"

The black stegoceratops stood up and puffed out his chest proudly. The others joined him in reciting a supposedly rehearsed monologue.

"The queen of the stegoceratops shall be recognized by her people, for she has a third horn on her snout to signify her royalty. Having fallen from the sky on a ball of fire, she is divine, and may not be killed by any creature woman-born. She will lead her people to fight the army of trumpeting elephants, brought on by Flat-Sailed June. The queen carries in her the magical Lilylotusdrop, white flower of Tall Mountain, which we call Moly. She is bound to the earth and to her people. Should she attempt to escape her fate, the results will be disastrous."

Claire frowned in puzzlement.

"You want me to fight in a war with . . . elephants?"

The black stegoceratops nodded.

"T'was foretold that you'd bring us back to the surface. We've been living here in secret, but now you will lead us into a golden age of peace and prosperity."

Claire gulped.

"Are you sure I'm your queen? I only just got here."

The black stegoceratops cocked his head.

"You have the third horn."

"Yes . . ."

"There is a white flower inside of you."

"I've been eating a lot of vegetation lately . . ."

"And you're a stegoceratops."

Claire choked a little.

"Yes . . ." she wheezed in a barely-audible tone.

"Then you are our queen."

Claire bit her lip. She looked out at all of the beaming faces and felt her heart shrivel up into a tiny, pathetic raisin of an organ. Smiling falsely, she gulped and began to back away.

"Um . . . Can I just have a second to talk this over with my jerboa assistant?"

Owen frowned.

"Assis-"

She clamped her foot over his mouth.

"Is there somewhere private we can go?"

The black stegoceratops nodded.

"There is a cave over that ridge. It's not far."

Claire was already halfway up the hill.

***TSJWFEW***

"What are we going to _do_? I can't be a queen!"

Owen nodded.

"Mhm. Especially since you said you're a stegoceratops, which is not true. You shouldn't lie, Claire. It's just asking for trouble."

Claire paced back and forth.

"I know, I know. What choice do I have, though? They're expecting some sort of messiah, and if I disappoint them, I could be skewered like a half-baked shrimp."

Owen frowned in thought.

"Why would a half-baked shrimp be skewered? Wouldn't you want to cook it all the way through?"

Claire growled.

"Who cares? The point is, if something goes wrong, I'll be trampled. Simple as that."

Owen sighed uncertainly.

"I don't know, Claire. These people seem nice enough. Besides, if you have a third horn, you _must_ be their queen."

"Not necessarily."

"I don't see any _other_ three-horned stegoceratopses running around up there."

Claire sighed.

"Right . . . What should we tell them?"

Owen shrugged.

"That you need to be shown how to help them. If you go through with this whole elephant thing-"

"Oh, Owen! Surely, you don't expect me to fight in a war!"

He shuffled his feet shyly.

"I think we should try to help these guys. They're more than willing to accept you as one of their own. We can train them so that if it comes down to a war, we'll be ready."

"I can't fight."

"I think you can."

Claire tossed her head and started pacing again. She looked out the mouth of the cave and snorted in agitation.

"I don't want to have to go out there . . ."

"But you'll have to eventually."

"Yeah, I know. I have to go to the bathroom. Do you think they have a special place for . . . manure?"

Owen tilted his head.

"Dunno. I've just been pooping all over."

Claire's eyes went wide.

"Ew! Owen!"

"What? I'm a rodent!" he protested, "It comes out in pellets, so it's no big deal . . ."

Claire gagged.

"Ick! I'm leaving. You gonna tag along, _assistant_?"

Owen crossed his arms.

"Alright. I'll try to help you stay out of trouble."

He hopped onto her shoulder, and they trotted outside. As they marched across the field, the black stegoceratops came to greet them.

"Have you made your decision?" he asked.

"Um . . . We'll stay for a bit," Claire quavered.

"Excellent!" the stegoceratops said with a wide grin, "I'm Rock, by the way. Before you arrived, it was my job to keep everything in order."

Claire smiled uneasily.

"You can continue to lead the herd . . . colony . . . group if you want."

He shook his head.

"No, no. _You_ know what's best for us. I'm just a regular dinosaur."

They passed a group of young stegoceratopses playing. They stopped to stare at Claire as she walked by.

"The green hatchlings are my niece and nephew," Rock declared proudly, "They're the youngest in the valley."

Claire hummed noncommittally. They continued to cross the field.

"That's Dirt," Rock said, pointing to the plum-colored stegoceratops, "He's our doctor."

Claire cocked her head.

"You have a doctor?"

Rock nodded.

"He knows about herbs."

Claire hummed.

"He's kind of messy, though. Shouldn't a doctor be sanitary?"

Rock smiled.

"You are very wise. We will find a new doctor."

Claire jolted.

"What? Oh, no. Don't do _that_. Just have him wash up or something."

"He is always dirty. That is why we call him Dirt."

Claire nodded.

"Okay. So, why do they call you 'Rock'?"

"Because it is my name."

Claire wasn't sure if he was joking or not. He continued walking, and she decided not to press him further.

"There's Boulder and Stone," Rock continued, pointing to two gray stegoceratopses, "They're my sons. Be careful around them. They like to tease, but they aren't good at detecting sensibilities."

"That's alright. I'm not offended easily."

Claire flicked Owen before he could comment.

"That's Tree. He thinks he's smart. That's Vine. He's a little shy. That's Bo. He has a temper, that one."

Claire pointed to a pale blue stegoceratops who was sitting alone on a tall cliff.

"Who's that?"

Rock winced uneasily.

"That's Sky. You don't have to meet him. He's different. We'll keep him out of your way."

"I'm sure he's nice," Claire mumbled.

Rock smiled.

"You are very kind."

"Thank you."

Rock continued his tour.

"There's Water and Cloud. Cloud is the oldest member of our tribe. She remembers the prophecies. You should talk to her sometime."

Claire gazed at the wrinkly, old albino. She certainly looked ancient enough to be an elder. The word "saggy" came to mind. It was likely that Water had been appointed as her caretaker. The dark blue stegoceratops was plucking dandelions for her to eat. Claire shrunk away when he frowned at her.

"There's Leaf and Root and Blossom and- Oh god. Turn around, turn around."

Claire blinked in confusion as a Rock shepherded her in the other direction. A plump, beige stegoceratops was waddling towards them very quickly. Rock pretended that he didn't see her.

"Run, run, run, run, run- Hi, Sandy!" he said brightly, turning around with a smile.

"Well, howdy!" Sandy said cheerfully, smiling at Claire, "Are you the queen?"

Before Claire could answer, Sandy reached out and pinched her front horn between two toes.

"Oh, of course you are! Look at me being all silly-willy. I never caught your name, dear. What is it?"

"Claire Dearing."

Sandy's eyes went wide.

"That's a long name."

Claire blinked.

"Is it? Oh! Um . . . It's two words . . ."

Sandy nodded.

"Yes, that makes more sense. Do I have to say the whole thing every time?"

Claire laughed.

"Of course not. Just call me Claire."

Sandy beamed.

"Did you hear that, Rock? She thinks I'm important enough to call her 'Claire'."

Before Rock could intervene, Sandy bumped up against Claire enthusiastically.

"Oh, we're going to be the best friends, you and I!"

Claire gave a pained smile.

"That's nice . . ."

Rock shoved Sandy to the side.

"You must forgive her. She's very outgoing. I'm sorry if she offended you."

Claire shook her head quickly.

"No, not at all."

Rock smiled sadly.

"You're probably used to being treated better than this . . ."

Owen burst into laughter.

"Are you kidding? No one's _ever_ this nice to Claire."

She gave him a venomous glare, and he shrunk away, hiding behind her plate.

"Ignore my rat," she said calmly, "You've been very nice to me. Even so, I'd like to go home soon."

"After you help us win the war?" Sandy asked naïvely.

Claire rubbed her front foot awkwardly.

"Um . . ."

"Of course!" Owen piped up, "We'll do whatever you want!"

Claire swatted him to the ground and whispered to him furiously.

"Let _me_ do the talking, rat!"

Owen crossed his arms.

"Jerboa."

"We'll do whatever we can to make your stay more comfortable," Rock said brightly, "I know you think we're uncivilized, but we have quite advanced technology."

"Yeah, we even have a windmill!" Sandy trilled.

Claire's face lit up.

"Oh, really?"

Rock pointed to a pile of stegoceratops manure with a pinwheel stuck on top. Claire's face fell.

"Oh."

"We're working out the electricity part," Rock explained, "All we need are lights and some wire."

Claire winced.

"I don't think . . . I mean . . . Wait. Where do you plan to _get_ these things?"

Rock avoided making eye contact.

"We know it's wrong to steal, but sometimes we have no choice. It's hard living down here. We need more than what we have, and desperately. We swear, we've never been seen by humans."

Claire bit her lip.

"Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were trapped like this . . ."

Rock lowered his head.

"It's not your fault. We've been in hiding since 1482, or so I'm told. We were hoping that you'd deliver us from the underground. If you could find a place without humans . . ."

Claire bit her lower beak.

"That might be a hard thing to do . . ."

Rock sighed.

"That's what I was afraid of. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Claire frowned in thought. After a moment, she decided upon a solution.

"What if you were to be kept in a place where people could see you, but where you would also be safe?" she suggested, thinking back to the park.

"Oh, no! We could _never_ do that!" Rock gasped, "I know that as a queen, you feel no fear, but you must understand that we would be terrified to encounter a human. They're the most frightening creatures on earth!"

Claire shrugged.

"Well, not _all_ of them . . ."

Sandy was shivering.

"If I ever saw a human, I'd drop dead on the spot!"

Claire laughed nervously.

"Something tells me that that's not true . . ."

"We're lucky to have you here with us, Claire," Rock said sincerely, "Without you, we wouldn't be one hundred percent protected from the humans."

Claire gulped. Rock didn't seem to notice her discomfort.

"As long as you're here, no human will ever-"

"Errr . . ."

"-ever-"

"Um . . ."

"-ever-"

"Urk!"

"-ever find us," Rock finished.

Claire didn't move. Her eye was twitching like crazy, and she was sweating like no stegoceratops should have been biologically able to do. Owen looked up at her with an angry expression, though she wasn't sure what he was sour about. Maybe he was just fed up with her lies in general.

"Can I have a moment alone?" Claire asked shrilly, "I need to consult with my, uh, assistant."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"Now, when you say 'consult' . . ."

Claire pushed him away before he could finish. Rock smiled at her warmly.

"Of course. I'll be sure to leave you alone. Sandy too, if she can manage . . ."

Sandy rolled her eyes before they both lumbered down the hill towards a small watering hole. Claire scooped up Owen and cantered in the opposite direction. He looked down at her from the top of her frill with a serious expression.

"Claire . . . You have to tell them."

"I know," she sighed, "I just don't want to freak them out. Let's ease them into it, okay?"

Owen nodded.

"Does this mean we'll be staying?"

"We'll see."

They pattered along in silence until Owen crawled down Claire's spine and sat on her tail. She could feel him leaning away, as if he was looking at something.

"What is it?"

Owen turned his head.

"Someone's following us. I think it's Rock's niece."

Claire looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was a dark green stegoceratops infant waddling along their trail. Claire turned back to the field and walked a little faster.

"If we ignore her, she'll go away."

She pretended not to see the child, but it got increasingly difficult as time went on. The kid was a fast waddler, and it wasn't long before she cut them off.

"Hi . . ." Claire said uncertainly.

"Hello."

The child looked up at her with bright, sparkling eyes. Claire blinked.

"Do you need something?"

"No."

Claire tilted her head slowly.

"Is there a reason you're following me?"

"I saw a butterfly today."

"Okay."

Claire turned to leave.

"Have _you_ ever seen a butterfly?" the stegoceratops asked, cutting her off once again.

"Yeah," Claire replied curtly. Owen slid down her face and thumped his foot against her cheek.

"Don't be rude, Claire. She asked you a question."

"I answered."

"Yes, but you need to elaborate. What _kind_ of butterflies did you see?"

"All kinds."

Owen gave her a sardonic look.

"You're really bad at this."

The child grinned up at Claire with whimsy.

"What's the outside like? Are there more butterflies?"

"Yeah," Claire muttered.

"I want to see the world, someday," the stegoceratops said wistfully, "Can you take me?"

Claire shook her head.

"Probably not. You have to stay with your family."

"My parents are dead."

Claire winced.

"Your uncle, I mean."

The child stared up at her with that same doe-eyed look.

"He's going to die, someday. He's never been outside. I want to see the world before I die."

Claire frowned.

"That's grim."

The child shrugged.

"That's reality."

Owen rubbed his chin.

"This girl's insightful. What's your name, kid?"

"Flower."

Owen smiled.

"That's a pretty name."

Claire turned her head sharply. Owen grabbed her horn for balance.

"Come on, Owen. We have to go."

He crossed his arms and frowned deeply.

"You're being rude. Flower wants to hang out."

Claire clenched her teeth.

"Yes, but Flower-"

She jolted.

"What's wrong?" Owen asked in panic.

"Cave. Now."

Owen was about to protest, but he saw that her hands were changing. He held on tightly to her face as she dashed across the field. Flower watched them run away. She lifted her tiny foot and waved slowly.

"Goodbye . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire hobbled into the cave, unable to walk on two legs and too disproportionate to use four. She crawled along the stone like a hippo on stilts, then collapsed on her deflating stomach.

"Ow . . . Ow . . . Ow . . ."

Owen hugged her arm.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Claire shook her head.

"Just keep everyone away from the cave for now. I'll change back into a stegoceratops as soon as I can."

Owen kissed her hand.

"Alright. Do you need something to stress you out so that you can change?"

Claire finished shrinking.

"No. I can change into a stegoceratops on my own. It's just the changing back that I can't do."

Owen cocked his head.

"Why have you never changed willingly before?"

Claire snorted.

"Why would I _want_ to? Go be a lookout."

Owen sighed and skittered over to the mouth of the cave. He hopped up on a small rock and stood on his hind legs, keeping watch like a meerkat. After a few whisker twitches, he snapped to attention.

"Flower's coming."

Claire groaned and moved deeper into the cave.

"Keep her busy. I'll try to change quietly."

Owen nodded and turned back to the field. Flower skipped over to him with a big smile.

"Hi. Where's the queen?"

Owen gulped.

"Um . . . She's kind of busy right now."

Flower tried to peek past him.

"Is she mad at me?"

Owen blinked in surprise.

"No, of course not! Why would she be mad at you?"

Flower sat down and hunched her shoulders.

"I don't think she likes me very much."

Owen bit his lip.

"Oh, don't say that, Flower. I'm sure she likes you."

Flower whimpered and lay down with her chin on her front feet. Owen slid down from his surveillance rock and tapped her on the beak with one claw.

"Hey. Wanna see something cool?"

He grabbed his tail and used it as a jumprope. Flower giggled as she watched him skipping merrily.

"You're funny!"

"I try," Owen said cheekily, "I don't think I introduced myself. My name's Owen. I'm a long-eared jerboa. Sort of."

Flower smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Owen. Do you want to come see my bouncy ball?"

Owen grinned.

"I'd love to!"

They trotted away from the cave cheerfully. A few minutes later, Claire stepped out into the light as a stegoceratops.

"I'm back, Owen."

She looked around.

"Owen?"

She saw him disappear into the jungle with Flower. Her eyes narrowed.

"Goddamn it, Owen!"

***TSJWFEW***

Lowery sighed and rolled over. He was lying on the roof of a helicopter with Vivian, and they were bobbing up and down on the waves. The water splashed gently against the side of the chopper. Vivian dangled her feet over the tail of the aircraft, cooling her toes in the ocean. Lowery scratched his neck.

"We probably should have refueled before attempting to fly across the ocean."

There was a long pause.

"Yeah . . ." the helicopter said.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire wandered into a dark grove until she saw the light of a fire flickering against the mountainside. She jogged towards it, praying that the setting sun would provide enough light to guide her through the forest. She reached the rock face as the first stars began to appear. When she saw the silhouette of a jerboa dancing in the light, she growled and pushed into the clearing.

Owen was wearing a daisy crown and grass skirt. He held a Tiger Lily in one hand and a Snapdragon in the other. He danced around and sang a song as a gathering of stegoceratopses clapped along.

"And third, was the darkest one of all,

A rat-monkey-dog, and standing tall.

His love for the woman fiercely burned,

But the warmth that he felt was not-"

He spotted Claire.

"Oh, hi! I was just singing a song. No idea where I heard it. It's very strange-"

Claire swatted the flowers out of his hands.

"Where were you? I've been looking for you all evening!"

Owen flattened his ears against his back.

"I'm sorry, Claire. Flower was just showing me her toys, and before I knew it, she introduced me to everyone here. That's Olive, her brother, and there's Fern and Buttercup and-"

Claire snorted. Her breath made him fall backwards.

"I don't _care_ , Owen! You left me all alone up there! You can't just _do_ that!"

Owen gave a squeaking whimper.

"I'm sorry . . ."

Claire growled angrily.

"If you hadn't left, you wouldn't have to be sorry. Think, Owen. Think before you do things."

She turned away. Owen removed his daisy crown and handed it to Flower before following her.

"Claire, wait!"

It took him a long time to catch up to her. By the time he did, they were back at the cave. Owen panted heavily as he hopped up the loose rocks.

"Claire!"

She turned around.

"What?"

"I shouldn't have run off . . ."

Claire took a deep breath and let it out calmly.

"No. It wasn't your fault. I'm just a little stressed out. I'm glad you're making friends."

Owen kissed the ridge of her beak.

"You're still my most important friend. You know that, right?"

Claire nodded.

"I know. I think we should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

She yawned and lumbered into the cave. When she found a flat area, she brushed away the dust with her tail and lay down on her back. Owen climbed up her leg and spread himself out flat on her belly, humming contentedly.

"Mmm . . . It's like a heated water mattress."

Claire craned her neck to frown at him. He lifted his head and flicked his ears forward.

"What?" he asked cluelessly.

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Please don't comment on my weight or my hematite-textured skin."

Owen scoffed.

"Why is it that _you_ can be honest about your size, but when I say the same thing, you freak out? Is that a girl thing?"

Claire laughed.

"You know, I think it might be."

After a second, Owen slid down her neck and climbed up her beak. He leaned forward and ran his hand over her snout slowly.

"I never noticed before . . ."

"Noticed what?"

"You have freckles."

Claire placed her front foot over her face shyly.

"Yeah . . . I usually cover them up. Is it noticeable when I'm a stegoceratops?"

Owen nodded.

"I like them. They're cute."

He scuttled up her neck once more and curled up on her slowly rising and falling belly. Claire smiled and stroked his ears. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Owen?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."


	18. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Ellie scanned the landscape as she flew beside Elkay.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

Elkay nodded.

"Of course. I know where Costa Rica is. We'll be able to reach Barry before Spurr, no problem."

Ellie frowned.

"I think we're lost."

Elkay snorted.

"Oh, Ellie. Have a little faith in me."

"I see the London Eye."

Elkay's ears drooped as she spotted the streets of London below.

"Oh . . . Yeah, I think we might be lost."

Ellie sighed and leaned to the side, turning herself around.

"Follow me. Once I get my magic back, we can teleport to Costa Rica. In the meantime, let's reduce the distance a little."

They flew in silence until they reached the ocean. Elkay started humming to herself as they soared over the tumbling waves. Ellie rolled her eyes and fell back. As she did, a voice entered her head.

'Hello.'

Ellie frowned.

'Julia Spurr . . .'

'Ellie Sattler. Now that we've got the pleasantries aside, please listen to what I have to say.'

Ellie beat her wings harder to catch up with Elkay.

'By all means, tell the dragon, but if you do, you'll never hear my side of the story.'

Ellie scoffed.

'I'm not interested in hearing your side of the story.'

'That's why you're living a lie. You've been misguided by the dragon. Don't you ever wonder about her past?'

'All the time. She's telling me more every day.'

'Has she brought up Zebil?'

'Once or twice.'

'Ask her about him. Ask her about what he did. I promise you won't get a straight answer.'

Ellie snuffed.

'You don't know Elkay. She confides in me. She'll tell me anything I want to know.'

'Try her.'

Ellie flapped up beside Elkay.

"Spurr is telling me to ask about Zebil."

Elkay blinked.

"Spurr wants to know about Zebil?"

"No. She says there's something _I_ need to know. Something to do with Zebil."

"What about him? His parents? He doesn't speak to them anymore."

'Ask her about the time he visited the novel canon.'

"She's telling me to ask you about the time he visited the novel canon," Ellie repeated.

Elkay stiffened.

"Nothing to tell. I mean, we slept together . . ."

'After he drugged her with Moly, of course.'

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Is that true?"

"Is what true?" Elkay asked.

"Were you drugged?"

"Drugged? When?"

"You know when."

Elkay's ear twitched.

"Ellie . . . There's context. Neither of us knew who the other was, and-"

"You're apologizing for him."

Elkay folded her ears back.

"We all make mistakes . . ."

Ellie's jaw dropped.

"You mean to tell me that you've been dating a-"

"Don't say it."

Ellie turned around.

"I need a moment alone."

Elkay grabbed her with her tail.

"Don't go. You know Zebil. You've hung out with him for the last few months. You know he's a good guy. He would never hurt a fly unless I asked him to. The thing is, he got really drunk-"

"That's not an excuse."

Elkay gulped.

"Yes, I know. I just . . . Well, it wasn't _him_ , you know?"

Ellie stared into the dragon's eyes.

"Elkay, nothing good can come from this."

"Something good _did_ come from it."

"What?"

Elkay gave her a pointed stare. Ellie felt her heart drop.

"Oh god . . ."

'You see? She's keeping secrets from you. This isn't even the worst.'

Ellie frowned.

'She told me when I asked. She's not keeping anything from me.'

Spurr chuckled.

'You're so naïve, Ellie. You think she's a different person, but she really hasn't changed one bit. She does this every thousand years or so. She oscillates between extreme confidence and extreme dependence. She doesn't love Zebil, and she doesn't love you.'

'You're wrong.'

'We'll see.'

Elkay looked at Ellie anxiously.

"You're talking to her, aren't you? What's she saying?"

"Nothing important."

"What is she saying?" Elkay asked, more sharply.

"Drop it."

Elkay gulped and focused her attention on flying. Ellie flew above her and landed on her horns.

"Zebil never told me."

"He's not proud of it. It's taken him forever to get over what happened."

Ellie twisted her mouth.

"Didn't he only find out that it was you recently?"

Elkay nodded.

"Doesn't matter who it was: once you do something like that to a person, it stays with you forever."

Ellie nodded.

"I'm sorry. For both of you."

"Oh, don't be. You were well worth it."

Ellie winced.

"God, don't say that."

"It's true. All pain heals eventually, but love stays forever."

Ellie smiled. The moment didn't last long, however, for Spurr's voice once again entered her mind.

'You'll see how wrong you are tomorrow. I'll be waiting in Costa Rica.'


	19. Upper Management

Claire had a dream. She was on a mountain, trudging through the snow. She knew that she was headed for the peak, but she didn't remember why she wanted to go there. There was definitely a reason, though. If only she could remember . . .

Suddenly, through a cloud of tumbling snow, she saw Owen running towards her. She was happy to see him. If there was one thing she remembered, it was that she felt good around him, even if she didn't know why, exactly.

He ran over to her, skidding across the white powder frantically. He practically fell in front of her, and when he did, he shoved some sort of plant in her mouth. As he moved her jaw with his hand, she could feel that it was a flower. She swallowed it and looked into his eyes. He was waiting for something. He was waiting for her to come back.

"Owen, I'm trying . . ."

He looked at her with a hopeless expression.

"I'm trying . . ."

She leaned forward and kissed him. He ran his hand along her cheek, and she shivered.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire opened her eyes and saw Owen sitting on her belly with his eyes closed. She had craned her neck all the way up, and she was kissing him, presently. His whiskers twitched. Claire quickly pulled away from his mouth, flicking her tongue to and fro to remove the fur. Owen opened his eyes drowsily and smiled.

"Well, good morning to you, too!"

Claire snorted and rolled over. When she stood up, Owen was nowhere to be seen.

"Please tell me I didn't squish you . . ."

"Nope. I'm just stuck in one of your folds."

He wiggled out from under her armpit. Claire shook herself off and started pacing.

"Alright, I think I have a plan."

"Big surprise."

Claire shot him a look.

"First, we start to help out around the valley. We'll improve their healthcare, get them to start farming, and maybe even install a few lamps, though I'm not sure how we'll get the fire started . . ."

"I can show them how, like last night."

Claire nodded briskly.

"Good. Next, we start an adoption program for the orphans. If we can ensure that the hatchlings have guidance, the next generation won't be so screwed. Speaking of which, these children need to be educated. I'll teach them a few basic skills, then- Oh, for goodness sake, Owen! Stop licking your privates!"

Owen paused with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.

"Hey, I'm a jerboa. I can't exactly take a shower."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Alright. Where was I?"

"Education."

"Right. We'll teach these stegoceratopses a few basic skills-"

"Like reading and writing?"

Claire sighed.

"I don't think that's practical. They don't have hands, and besides, I don't know if they're smart enough to understand written words."

"They can use their horns to write, and they're definitely smart enough, since they left you a message outside."

Claire blinked.

"What?"

She waddled over to the mouth of the cave, and sure enough, there was something written in the dirt.

 _Clar, com find us in the feeld. We mad brekfast for yu. We wud hav brot it heer, but yu wur gleeping._

Claire frowned.

"What the hell is 'gleeping'?"

"Dunno, but I think you can be arrested if you do it in public."

Claire scooped up Owen with her horn and carried him out of the cave. They made their way across the meadow, and a dozen moths fluttered out of the damp grass.

"Hey, do you think it's weird that they speak English?" Owen asked.

"Of course, Owen. Jesus Christ, they're dinosaurs!"

He shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. We're in Cambodia, so how did they learn English?"

"How did they learn _any_ language down here?"

"Where did they come from?"

"Who created them?"

"What's your middle name?"

Claire blinked.

"What?"

"I thought we were asking random questions."

Claire snuffed.

"Kennedy."

"What?"

"My middle name is Kennedy."

"What the hell kind of a middle name is _that_?" Owen laughed.

"It's common."

"It's a boy's name!"

"It's gender-neutral, and don't be sexist, thank you very much!"

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Kennedy . . . Kennedy . . . Kennedy . . . It sounds like the name of that weird kid who always stole other people's crayons in kindergarten."

Claire gave a snorting laugh.

"Did you _know_ a Kennedy or something?"

"No, but there's just certain names that give you a very specific mental image."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Try me. Any name."

Claire cocked her head.

"Okay. Um . . . Jane."

"That quiet girl who nobody knows anything about because she refuses to go to parties."

"Megan."

"The kind of person who goes to _too many_ parties."

"Ruby."

"Some old woman at a nursing home."

"Duncan."

"A British guy who always smells funny."

"Billy."

"An obnoxious know-it-all who likes to go hiking."

"George."

"A person who only has his name because his parents ran out of ideas."

"Claire."

Owen smiled.

"A sweet, intelligent woman who, despite her possible OCD, is one of the most attractive women to grace this earth."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"You know, all of those descriptions were negative, except the last one."

Owen shrugged.

"What can I say? There are a lot of bad people who taint otherwise lovely names."

Claire snuffed.

"Alright. Let _me_ try. Go ahead. Pick a name, and I'll describe it. Nicely."

"Bertha."

Claire frowned.

"Don't make it so hard for me."

"Alright . . . Deborah."

"A sweet lady who probably works at an office."

"Olivia."

"Although she may not be the most beautiful girl around, she definitely has a few quirks that you learn to love."

"Sapphire."

"No fair!" Claire protested, "You can't use gemstone names."

Owen smiled cockily.

"Why? Do they remind you of strippers? Looks like someone's been proven wrong."

Claire huffed.

"I'm sure there are plenty of people named Sapphire who _aren't_ strippers."

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a trashy name."

Claire frowned bitterly.

"Owen! Don't be rude. Names have no meaning outside of the ideas we assign to them."

"But the ideas we assign to them are totally valid. There's life outside of charts and statistics, you know."

"I know."

"Emotions may not be admissible in a working environment, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."

"You trying to flirt?"

Owen chuckled.

"Naw, I'm just being philosophical."

"Right. Anything else you wanna discuss?"

"Have you ever pooped your pants when you were over the age of ten?"

Claire shrugged.

"Well, I had to take medication once for a doctor's appointment, and it had laxative properties, so I accidentally pooped in the shower."

Owen sat up on her back, his mouth agape.

"You answered. Oh my god. I didn't expect you to answer."

Claire smirked.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Owen. I'm not as uptight as you think I am."

"Apparently not . . ."

"What about you?"

"I'm pretty relaxed."

"No, I mean for the poop question."

Owen laughed.

"Oh, geez. Where do I begin? So, I've always had this thing with gummy bears. I don't know what it is about them, but somehow . . ."

They continued to walk down the path in this way. Their discussion was open, honest, and sincere, even though it was at the maturity level of the fifth grade. Claire didn't know whether they had become a little wiser or more foolish, but for once, she didn't really care.

***TSJWFEW***

The stegoceratopses had set up a veritable banquet. Claire gawked at all of the fruit, vegetables, and miscellaneous vegetation. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she stuck her face into the pile. She was so hungry, in fact, that she didn't notice Owen nibbling on a carrot that she was about to consume.

"Claire! I've had enough of dinosaurs trying to eat me, okay?"

"Sowwy!" she mumbled through a mouthful of leaves.

"I hope you're enjoying your breakfast," Rock beamed as he walked up to them.

"Iff gweat! Fank you!" Claire said brightly.

"Oh, don't thank _us_!" Rock laughed, "It's the least we can do after we upset you last night."

Claire swallowed her food.

"What? Oh, don't apologize for that. It was Owen's fault, anyway."

Rock looked down guiltily, wrapping his tail around his back leg.

"We're just humble dinosaurs."

Claire tilted her head and gazed at him sadly.

"Don't say that. You're very kind, and with a little help, I'm sure you can advance your society to the point of- OWEN! STOP LICKING YOURSELF!"

Owen spat out a wad of fur.

"Well, I can't finish if you keep interrupting me!"

Claire rolled her eyes and turned back to Rock.

"I've been talking things over with Mr. Crotch-Licker here, and we've decided to improve things in the valley before we leave."

"And you'll help us fight the elephants, right?" Rock asked eagerly. Claire raised her eyebrow.

"Rock, do you see any elephants down here?"

"No . . ."

"Then you'll be safe, as long as you stay hidden."

Rock bit his beak.

"But-"

"Trust me: I'm queen."

Owen gave her a sour look, but she ignored it. Rock nodded slowly, then lifted his head nobly.

"Alright. I believe you."

Claire smiled.

"Good. Now, why don't you introduce me to your doctor?"

***TSJWFEW***

Rock brought her to a small clearing where Dirt was waiting. The brownish-purple stegoceratops had a cloud of flies constantly buzzing around him, and Claire decided that it would be best to fix that first.

"Dirt, have you ever considered bathing before treating patients?"

"Well, sure! But I don't see what difference it makes."

Claire frowned.

"Dirt, if someone is wounded, their lacerations need to be clean, or they could become infected."

Dirt cocked his head.

"Well, yeah, I mean, theoretically, but I can just press my herbs against the cut, and it will fix itself."

Claire sighed.

"Alright. Show me which herbs you use."

"All of them."

Claire blinked.

"Sorry, come again? . . ."

"All of them. It doesn't matter which herb you use. All plants heal wounds. Natural remedies are foolproof."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"No! No, that's absolutely wrong! Plants contain chemicals, just like any other medicine. Just because something's natural, it doesn't mean that you can go around and use it willy-nilly! You need to measure dosages and match the correct herb to specific ailments, or you could do some serious damage!"

Dirt narrowed his eyes.

"So . . . I should press more herbs against the patients' wounds?"

Claire sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"This is going to be harder than I thought."

***TSJWFEW***

A few hours later, they met up with Boulder and Stone to teach them how to farm. The two stegoceratopses could be distinguished by the shade of their scales, but they were otherwise identical. Claire made a mental note to remember that Boulder was the darker one.

"Okay, so we're a bit behind schedule, but that's fine . . ." she said as she approached a wide field.

"Could you maybe say that without a twitching eye?" Owen sassed, "It's not exactly reassuring."

Claire waved Stone and Boulder over. They stood at attention like soldiers.

"Alright, you two seem strong. Do you think you can plow this field?"

"It depends," Boulder stated.

"On what?" Claire asked.

"On what 'plowing' is."

Claire looked up at the sky.

"Lord give me strength."

She dug her tail spikes into the ground and drew a large rectangle. When she was done, she shook the dirt away and pointed to Stone and Boulder.

"Alright. Do the same thing I did, but stay inside the lines."

Stone and Boulder looked at each other, then nodded. They stepped into the rectangle, and began to tear up the field in random patterns.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Claire shouted, "You have to do it in lines, just like _I_ did. Go up and down the field STRAIGHT!"

"Well, why didn't you _say_ so?" Stone asked.

Claire could only put her head in her hands as he started walking diagonally across the field.

***TSJWFEW***

"Alright, so I'm guessing we don't have time for the orphans," Owen said as he licked his paws and ran them over his face, "We might be able to install a few lamps-"

"Skip it. I don't trust them with fire."

Owen rubbed his ears.

"Alright. We'll work on the school, then?"

Claire nodded.

"If we can."

They passed a green stegoceratops on the road. Claire paused, then pulled him to the side.

"You're Tree, right?"

He shook his head.

"Me? Wha- Uh, no. I'm Vine. Tree is my brother. Listen, can you not grab me like that? No offense, but you're a little dirty."

Claire sighed.

"I've been plowing the fields. It can't be helped."

Vine nodded.

"Well, uh, maybe you should see Sandy. She's in charge of the hot springs. Dunno what I'd do without her. I can't stand filth."

Claire rubbed her chin.

"Vine, I'm going to give you a special job."

"And what's that?"

"You're going to be the doctor's assistant."

Vine blinked.

"You mean I have to spend time with Dirt?"

Claire nodded.

"Mhm."

"Dirt. The doctor."

"Yes."

"Dirt. The dinosaur who once spent five hours in a mud puddle."

Claire nodded slowly.

"Yes, one and the same. Hop to it."

Vine grimaced and lumbered away. Claire beamed proudly.

"Great. Now he'll keep Dirt clean."

Owen scoffed.

"Wow. I can't see anything going wrong with _that_ plan . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Instead of meeting Sandy by the hot springs like Vine suggested, they decided to go through with their plans of educating the youth. Claire vaguely remembered someone telling her that Tree was smart, so she used her impeccable planning-sense to deduce that he would be a decent teacher. She found the tall-frilled stegoceratops arguing with a red stegoceratops by a ravine.

"Don't be stupid, Tree! The moon is made of ice! Everyone knows that!" the red stegoceratops bellowed. Claire walked up to them and smiled.

"Actually, the moon isn't made of ice. Tree is right."

Tree beamed.

"See? If the queen says the moon is made of bones, it _must_ be so!"

Claire blinked.

"I never said- Look, the moon is made of a special kind of rock. You're _both_ wrong."

Tree sneered.

"Impossible. I'm _never_ wrong."

Claire snorted.

"Okay. What are clouds made of?"

"Cotton."

"Wrong. Water vapor."

Tree frowned.

"Wh- Wh- Wh- WATER VAPOR? Don't be ridiculous! Water isn't white!"

Claire frowned.

"What about ice? Ice is frozen water, and it can be white."

Tree snorted loudly.

"Hahaha! Good one! The mountains are covered in _solid water_! That's hilarious!"

Claire stared at him for a very long time. Then, she stood up and walked away.

"So, about that school . . ." Owen began.

"Skip it."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire sighed as Owen dog-paddled past her in the hot spring.

"I don't know, Owen. I've always been good at organizing people, but if those people are utterly hopeless, I have a hard time giving them directions."

Owen got out of the water and shook himself off.

"Naw, don't say that. You just have to try harder. I've never seen you give up on an investor or any other client . . ."

"You've never seen me working in general. But you're right. I shouldn't give up. I just need a little patience, that's all."

She noticed the blue stegoceratops from earlier (Sky, if she remembered correctly) making his way over to the hot springs. He dipped a toe in the water and smiled. Before he could enter the springs, however, he was chased away by Blossom, Sandy's assistant. Claire watched the poor stegoceratops hobble away in fear. Blossom noticed her discomfort and trotted over.

"That was Sky. He's different. We'll keep him out of your way-"

Claire frowned.

"Blossom, I think you should go and find him. Let him know that he's free to swim. I don't mind."

Blossom nodded quickly.

"Of course. I'll get him. But only if you want me to. You know, because you're queen. Not that I wouldn't agree with you if you weren't. Because I would. You look nice today!"

Claire pursed her beak.

"Blossom. Go."

She nodded and skipped away. Owen chuckled lightly and shook himself off again. His fur jutted out in dark spikes, which he proceeded to lick.

"Owen, stop that! You're already clean. Don't be gross."

He rubbed his face.

"It's instinctual! Besides, it's not doing any harm. If _you're_ allowed to eat grass, _I'm_ allowed to lick myself."

Claire slammed her foot on the edge of the spring quite suddenly, causing Owen to jump.

"I'm only eating grass because I need it to survive, okay? Do you know how much dinosaurs eat?"

Owen shook his head.

"No, but I wasn't-"

"A lot. They eat a lot. My stomach is designed to eat vegetation. I have no choice."

"Claire, calm down."

She rumbled angrily.

"It shouldn't be any of your business whether I eat grass or leaves or fl-"

He hopped up on her beak, holding it shut with his entire body.

"Don't say that word, Claire. Every time you say 'flower' or 'flowers', you change."

Claire blinked.

"I do?"

Owen nodded.

"Haven't you noticed? It must have something to do with that flower inside of your stomach."

Claire was about to tell him that there was no magical flower inside of her, but she saw Sandy waddling over, and decided that it would be a terrible idea to deny her royalty in front of a devout stegoceratops.

"Did someone mention the Lilylotusdrop?" Sandy trilled.

"Yeah, I did," Owen said, "Of course, Claire knows all about it, but if you could fill me in, that would be great . . ."

Sandy smiled cheerfully.

"The Lilylotusdrop is a hybrid flower. It is part lily, for its beauty, part lotus, for its serenity, and part snowdrop, for its medical uses. The gods call it Moly."

She leaned in and whispered to Owen in a conspiratorial tone.

"Some say that the Lilylotusdrop has healing powers, and that it can reverse any lethal injury. Others say that it makes the bearer beautiful beyond compare, and I don't doubt that!"

She nudged Claire with her elbow.

"Wait . . . You think I'm beautiful?" Claire gaped. Sandy laughed.

"Well, gee! Of course you are! You're the most beautiful stegoceratops in the valley! I guess it's hard for you to see yourself that way, since you're so humble and all."

Claire looked at her reflection in the water.

"But I'm all scaly . . ."

"Aren't we all?" Sandy giggled.

"Well, yes, but I'm also green."

"A very nice shade of green, if I do say so myself!"

"I'm chubby . . ."

"You're a lot skinnier than me!" Sandy snorted.

Owen climbed up on Claire's frill.

"I think what Sandy is trying to say is that you're a pretty stegoceratops. By the standards of an ape . . . a very specific kind of ape . . . you may be ugly, but the thing is, you _aren't_ an ape. You're a stegoceratops, and stegoceratopses are _supposed_ to be scaly and green and chubby. You might be one hell of an ugly ape, but you're a beautiful stegoceratops."

Claire clapped slowly.

"Wow. Have you been practicing that?"

Owen shrugged.

"If it comes from the heart, there's no need to rehearse."

Claire smiled. Her grin disappeared, however, when she saw a crowd of disgruntled stegoceratopses charging towards her. In the lead was Dirt, who wore a deep frown. Claire crawled out of the hot spring and shook herself off. Her subjects were seething.

"Queen Claire! Why did you send Vine to work with me? He's been nothing but trouble!" Dirt growled.

"ME?!" Vine spat, " _You're_ the one who refuses to clean his work station! Didn't Claire tell you to be more sanitary?"

Bo squeezed through the crowd.

"I found Stone and Boulder trying to tear up my favorite clover patch! They say they're going to plant food, but there's _already food there_!"

Rock pushed him aside.

"Claire, I saw Sky using one of the hot springs. He can't swim! What's going on?"

Claire gulped and backed away.

"I . . . Um . . . Things got a little out of control."

"You said you knew what you were doing!" Boulder and Stone chorused.

"She does!" Rock insisted, "You're just not listening to her right!"

"But what about Sky? She said he was free to swim!" Blossom argued.

Claire gulped.

"I didn't know he couldn't swim. You should have said something."

Blossom twisted her beak.

"I'm sorry. I thought you knew. I guess it's _my_ fault."

"Well, whose fault is it that my shrubs were destroyed?" Bo snarled, "Boulder and Stone?"

Claire shook her head.

"No. It's no one's fault. _I_ should have been clearer, and _they_ should have listened better. We share the blame."

"Share the blame?" Rock echoed, "But you're a queen. You're perfect."

Claire blushed.

"Oh, I wouldn't say 'perfect', exactly . . ."

Owen cuffed her leg. She cleared her throat and held her head high.

"Listen, I may be a queen, but that doesn't mean I can solve all of your problems. _You_ know what's best for the valley, but you need to communicate with your peers so that they can adhere to your needs. If you have conflicting ideals, work them out and decide upon a fair resolution. Share. Compromise. Work together. You can do it. I _know_ you can. You just need to have a little confidence in yourselves."

The stegoceratopses looked at each other uncertainly. They turned back to Claire with pleading eyes.

"You're our queen," Rock said weakly, "Can't you help us with organization?"

Claire nodded.

"Yes. I'm going to go through your problems one by one, but you need to promise me that you'll cooperate. Deal?"

"Deal!" they shouted in unison.

Claire nodded.

"Good. Follow me, everyone. We have work to do."


	20. Mommy Issues

"Faster, Elkay. I almost have enough magic to teleport."

Elkay huffed and puffed behind Ellie.

"Are you sure . . . we need to be flying . . . this fast? There's no way . . . she'll make it there . . . before us."

Ellie closed her eyes.

"She already has. I got word from Squadron X that she's captured Barry. Her adopted daughter, Raven, has a magic soul-pot that-"

Elkay held up her claw.

"Hang on, hang on. What the hell is Squadron X?"

"They're in charge of the C Story," Ellie explained, "I'm not narrating it, because we're pressed for time already. Lowery and Vivian are supposed to meet up with my team at the rendezvous point and- Hang on, I'm charged."

Ellie opened a portal in front of them, and they soared through. When they came out the other side, they saw Spurr riding a strange creature. She had been waiting for them.

"Spooky . . ." Elkay whispered.

Spurr stood atop the monster, which beat its wings slowly, flying in place. Ellie and Elkay slowed to a stop, hovering in front of her in a similar fashion. For a moment, they remained silent, frozen in an aerial standoff.

"So. This is how it ends," Spurr said flatly.

"This is how it ends for _you_ ," Elkay hissed, "You mess with us, you'd better hope you're insured."

Spurr smiled thinly.

"You think it's that simple? You think you can win this?"

Elkay nodded.

"Ellie is going to kick your ass."

Spurr shook her head.

"She isn't going to harm me, because in a few minutes, she'll be on my side."

Ellie crossed her arms.

"Unlikely. Nothing you say will sway me."

Spurr stared at her for a very long time.

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

She waved her hand, and the monster gave a loud shriek, tossing its head. Slowly, it landed on the ground, wincing in pain. Spurr stepped down and walked towards Ellie and Elkay, who landed as well. She stood with her arms crossed and adopted a neutral expression.

"I'm sorry, Ellie, that you had to involve yourself with this pathetic excuse of a dragon. You seem nice enough, and I apologize for making your life so difficult. Do you remember what I told you on graduation day?"

Ellie nodded.

"You said I was destined to fail."

Spurr closed her eyes.

"I said that because I thought it was in your blood. Somehow, you have managed to elude the disgraceful genetics that Kristine carries."

Elkay cringed.

"She said it. It hurts . . ."

Spurr sneered.

"You can't bear to hear your own name, because you are ashamed of what you are. You could have been great. You could have been the best Queen there ever was. But you chose to concern yourself with Fiction."

Elkay snarled.

"The world _needs_ Fiction."

Spurr shook her head.

"You created the Overworld. You didn't have to do that. You had a responsibility to Asterpara, and you ignored it."

Elkay roared.

"You have no right to tell me how to be a Queen!"

Spurr closed her eyes.

"I have every right."

She began to glow, changing her shape with Asterparan Magic. When the light around her faded, Ellie's eyes went wide. Spurr was a yellow dragon with sharp features, slightly taller than Elkay and much, much older. There was no doubt who she was, even before Elkay whispered her identity fearfully.

"Mother? . . ."

The dragon stared down at her daughter with disdain. Elkay shrunk back like a wilting flower, leaving Ellie standing defiantly between the two of them.

"You don't know her like I do," Spurr declared icily, "She is not your friend. I don't claim to be any better than she is, but at the very least, I don't lie about my intentions."

Ellie shook her head.

"I trust Elkay. She won't betray me."

Spurr took a deep breath.

"I'm giving you the chance to join me. Please, for your own sake, consider it."

Elkay looked at Ellie with a kind of puppy dog expression that indicated that she believed it was a possibility. Surely she didn't think Ellie would leave her? . . .

"She knows she's in the wrong," Spurr hissed, "That's why she feels so guilty. She's been lying to you."

Elkay whimpered.

"Ellie, I haven't been lying to you. I'm trying to be good . . ."

Spurr glared down at her daughter with contempt. She snapped her fingers, and Zebil appeared nearby.

"Kristine!"

He ran over, but Spurr pinned him to the ground with her front foot. Elkay tried to dart forward, but Ellie held her back.

"Julia, there's no need to make this more complicated than it already is," Ellie said calmly, "Leave him be."

Spurr frowned.

"You really think it's that easy? You think we can talk through our problems? Fine. I'll give you an ultimatum. Join me, or I'll kill the tiger. If you choose to let him die, you'll see just how unreliable Elkay is. She will turn on you."

Ellie stepped forward.

"That's not fair! She loves both of us!"

Spurr shook her head.

"She'll be off with some other tiger or dragon once he's gone. She might even find a new granddaughter to replace you."

Suddenly, Zebil thrashed around and tried to claw at his captor.

"You know nothing about her! She loves Ellie!"

"She is a loathsome cunt who will latch onto anyone who shows her even a scrap of affection."

Ellie blinked in shock.

"I'm beginning to see why she never told me about you."

Elkay peeked out from under her claws.

"I assumed she was dead, so that's actually the reason why."

"Enough!" Spurr hissed, "Are you going to join me, Ellie Sattler, or do I have to teach you a lesson the hard way?"

Ellie clenched her fists.

"What use would it be to join you if I don't believe in your principles? I'd only be doing it to save Zebil-"

Without warning, Spurr placed her hands on either side of Zebil and tore him in half. He didn't even have time to yowl in pain before he died.

"NO!" Ellie shrieked, "NO, THAT WASN'T MY ANSWER!"

Spurr stepped back as Elkay ran over to the two halves of her lover. She collapsed on his chest, weeping heavily.

"Oh god . . . Oh god . . . Oh god . . ."

Ellie screeched in fury, changing into a raptor. She leapt upon Spurr, but the dragon held her back with ease.

"You wasted your strength traveling here, Ellie. I know you thought you could talk your way through this, but you have to understand that with Kristine, nothing sinks in. I'm sorry you had to learn this way."

Ellie tried to claw at her eyes.

"You monster! I'll kill you!"

Spurr summoned magic tethers and ensnared Ellie and Elkay. When they were tightly bound, she opened a portal to a cold and desolate land.

"I'll be waiting for you when you learn your lesson, Ellie. I hope you can forgive me someday."

And with that, she tossed them into the snow, letting the portal close behind them.


	21. Wisdom

Claire directed her team of farmers from a tall boulder, shouting out commands and instructions for all to hear. She would rise up on two legs every now and then to emphasize important remarks, then pace around with an air of authority. They had been working for the good part of the day, and the field was finally starting to look farmable.

"Faster, Stone! You can do it! Keep up with the group! Good! Don't get too out of line, Blossom! Move to the left . . . No, your _other_ left . . . That's backwards . . . Just move closer to Root, okay?"

Claire puffed out her chest proudly. Now, _this_ was what she was supposed to do. Directing people, making good things happen . . . It almost made her feel human again.

"Good job, Bo! Everyone, follow his example!" she shouted.

Owen skittered up to her perch and sat on her foot, arching his tail behind him.

"Wow, Claire! You're doing a really good job."

She grinned.

"Thank you. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."

She turned back to the field and yelled sharply.

"Leaf! Keep in line!"

Owen winced.

"Um . . . Not to take away from my previous compliment, but could you ease up on the shouting a little?"

Claire snorted.

"Do you want things to get done efficiently or not?"

Owen folded his ears over his back shyly.

"Well, you can get things done, but maybe you should be a little gentler about it. These guys aren't machines, you know."

"I know."

Owen nodded.

"I know you know. Just tone it down, okay?"

Claire sighed.

"Alright. If you think their sensibilities are getting- AH!"

She turned around to see Flower looking up at her, standing motionless as though she had been waiting to be noticed.

"Ah! What the- Don't sneak up on me like that!" Claire spat.

"I brought you a flower."

Claire blinked.

"What?"

"I brought you a flower," she repeated, holding up a small, pink daisy. Claire smiled politely and took the flower in her mouth.

"Thank you."

The child smiled sweetly and sat down on her rump.

"I got it for you so that you'll think of me whenever you see it."

By the time she finished her sentence, Claire had already chewed up the petals pretty badly. She jolted and spat out what was left of the flower, folding it with one foot in an attempt to make it look less _eaten_.

"Thank you for thinking of me," she said awkwardly, "I'll get my assistant to bring it back to the cave."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"So, I'm a delivery boy now?"

Claire handed him the chewed-up daisy.

"Just go, okay? I'll stay here with Fl-"

Owen held her beak shut.

"Claire. Don't say that."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Riiiiiiiiight."

Owen hopped away on his twiggy feet, carrying the flower like a bindle. Claire turned back to Flower, who wagged her tail happily.

"I like Owen. He's really nice to me."

Claire smiled.

"I like him too."

Flower cocked her head.

"Are you two married?"

"No," Claire laughed.

"Are you _going_ to get married?"

Claire shrugged.

"Maybe someday. Don't tell him I said that."

"I won't. Are you going to have kids?"

"Maybe."

"After you get married?"

"Probably."

"When are you going to get married?"

Claire laughed.

"I told you, I don't know."

"Can you ask him?"

Claire sniggered.

"I can't just ask him when we're going to get married . . ."

Flower shook her head.

"No, no. I mean, ask him to marry you."

Claire blinked.

"I . . . I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

Flower pouted.

"When will you be ready?"

Claire put her front foot on Flower's shoulder.

"Listen, Fl- . . . Sweetheart . . . You can't rush these things. I'll know when it's the right time."

"Don't you love him?"

Claire nodded spiritedly.

"Of course."

"Then why don't you marry him?"

Claire gave a half-smile.

"Sometimes, you need to test things out a little . . . see if you're compatible . . . etcetera."

Flower frowned.

"I don't understand."

Claire smiled.

"You'll understand someday, Sweetheart. I promise."

Flower crossed her arms.

"My name isn't 'Sweetheart'."

Claire gave a humming laugh.

"I know. 'Sweetheart' is something you call people for fun."

"Can I call _you_ 'Sweetheart'?"

Claire chuckled.

"I'd rather you not."

"Can I call you 'Mom'?"

Claire froze.

"Oh . . . Um . . . I don't know if that's-"

Flower stared at her with an innocent mien as she tried to fumble through whatever it was she was trying to say. Claire was relieved to see Owen hopping back, and promptly took the opportunity to scoot away from the child.

"Oh, look! It's Owen. I think he needs my help. Go find your uncle, Sweetheart. I'll see you later."

Flower looked up at her with an expression of absolute disappointment and shame.

"Okay . . ."

Claire jogged away briskly, trying her best to ignore the sniffling stegoceratops. When Owen hopped up to her, she bent down to speak with him.

"Hey, Owen. What took you so long?"

He cocked his head.

"I'm tiny. I can't travel as fast as you. The cave is pretty far for me."

Claire blinked in surprise.

"You actually kept the fl- the thing?"

Owen nodded.

"Of course. What did you _think_ I was gonna do with it?"

Claire shrugged.

"I dunno. Throw it in a bush?"

Owen crossed his arms.

"But Flower gave it to you."

Claire gulped nervously.

"Owen, I think she wants us to be her parents."

"I know."

"She just asked me- Wait, you _know_?!"

Owen nodded.

"Yeah. She asked me if I planned on having kids, and I told her I would, someday. Then she brought up the fact that she has no parents, and that she wouldn't mind having some, even if one of them was a rodent."

Claire winced.

"Oh god. Now we have to come up with a way to tell her 'no'."

"Do we?"

After a beat, Claire turned to gawk at him with disbelief. Realizing what he had said, he folded his ears back and kicked a pebble away shyly.

"I mean . . . we could maybe not say 'no', exactly, but . . ."

He fell silent. Claire narrowed her eyes.

"Owen . . ."

"It's just that I, uh, I was thinking . . . I really wish someone would interrupt me right now so I don't have to explain myself . . ."

Claire frowned.

"Owen, she needs to stay with her uncle. She can't come back to the surface with us."

Owen shrugged.

"Well, maybe we could stay here."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Owen, we can't stay here! We have lives!"

"You mean at Jurassic World, which will most likely close down?" he asked bitterly.

Claire took a deep breath and stroked his ears.

"Even with all of the crap going on up there, we can't run from our problems. This place was meant to stay hidden. Fl- _that kid_ belongs here, and _we_ belong in civilized society."

Owen laced his fingers together and rocked back and forth on his feet.

"But she's so cute and all alone . . ."

"She has her uncle."

"He ignores her. She told me."

"That's not our problem."

Owen pouted.

"Claire, we can't just leave her down here. Flower is the sweetest, kindest, most adorable kid I've ever met. It's _our_ responsibility to-"

Owen squeaked in fear as a large foot landed next to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I almost squish your rat?" a dark blue stegoceratops said insincerely, kicking Owen to the side, "You'll have to forgive me. I have big feet."

Claire frowned.

"You're Water, right? What do you want?"

The stegoceratops snorted sharply.

"Cloud, the tribe's elder, has requested that you meet with her. I'd do it, if I were you. She's very wise. Wiser than you, even."

Claire frowned. She didn't know what this stegoceratops was up to, but she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Alright. I'll go see her, but I seriously doubt that she's wiser than me."

Water sneered with contempt.

"Being smart does not make you wise."

Claire lifted her chin and swished her tail around behind her authoritatively.

"Alright, Water. Show me where this 'Cloud' lives."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire lumbered up to the cave where Cloud was waiting for her, leaving Owen at the base of the mountain with Water. Unlike her own (rented) cave down in the valley, this one happened to be on a large, rocky hill. Claire had no idea how an old dinosaur was able to make this hike every day, but she didn't really care. She just wanted to get this over with.

"Hello?" she called.

"Come in, Claire," an old voice quavered from inside the cave.

Claire stepped inside and looked around. The cave walls were adorned with crude paintings and strange symbols. There were a few holes in the ceiling, so it wasn't completely dark. At the very back of the cave was the albino stegoceratops, who looked up at Claire with tired eyes.

"I've been expecting you."

"Yes, Water told me-"

"For the last eighty years."

Claire blinked.

"Oh . . . Are you some sort of sage, or-"

The old stegoceratops laughed.

"No, no. I'm a stegoceratops like any other. The wisdom of the ages has been passed down to me from generations long gone. I've been waiting to meet you since I was a child."

Claire gulped.

"Oh . . . That's, um-"

"I know that you are not what you say you are."

Claire went rigid.

"You . . . You know?"

Cloud nodded.

"I know, and I am not afraid."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Does anyone else know?"

Cloud nodded slowly.

"Water knows. He won't tell a soul without my permission."

Claire looked away.

"I didn't mean to lie. It's just, if I tell them, they're bound to panic and-"

"I know. I do not judge you for lying. Sit down, and we will talk."

Claire lowered herself to her knees, then sat down. She tried to ignore the pressure of her belly spilling over her feet as she made herself comfortable.

"You are very special, Claire," Cloud began, "Not because you are a queen, mind you, but because you are dedicated, hard-working, and intelligent. The tribe needed someone like you to take charge, as you learned today."

"Thank you."

The old stegoceratops held up her foot.

"Of course, you aren't perfect. You lack the ability to sympathize with my companions, even though they look to you for guidance."

Claire stared down at her toes humbly.

"I'm sorry. I've tried to be patient, but I have a life to get back to."

Cloud nodded.

"I understand. You don't want to be stuck here forever."

Claire sighed with relief.

"Exactly! That's why-"

"Like we are."

Claire bit her lower beak and rumbled uncomfortably. Cloud reached forward and put her front foot on top of Claire's.

"I'm sorry you had to be saddled with our troubles, but that's just the way it has to be. You are a resourceful woman. You can find a way to overcome these obstacles."

Claire nodded.

"I'll try."

Cloud patted her hand.

"Good. I think you ought to head back to your cave before it gets dark. Your friend is already home. If you hurry, you won't have to meet Sandy on the way back. She tends to ramble about Rock when she eats too much milkweed."

Claire gave a gentle laugh.

"Thanks for the advice."

She stood up to leave, but paused at the mouth of the cave.

"Cloud . . . Does Sandy like Rock?"

"Very much. She hasn't yet found the courage to tell him how she feels."

Claire rubbed her chin.

"Do you think she'd make a good mother for Fl-"

"Don't say it."

Claire nodded.

"Do you think she would make a good mother?"

Cloud took a deep breath.

"That's entirely up to you. I know you want to have children of your own, someday."

Claire tilted her head to the side.

"Can you read my mind?"

Cloud smiled.

"I didn't have to."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire yawned as she entered her own cave. She leaned forward, stretching out her front legs, and shook herself off, steadying her sloshing stomach with one foot. After blinking drowsily a couple of times, she heard Owen's voice coming from deep in the cavern. She headed towards it, and sure enough, he was telling Flower a bedtime story.

"And then the third billy goat crosses the bridge, and- Oh hi, Claire. I was just telling Flower a story."

"I can see that," Claire said pleasantly, "It's getting kind of late, though. Shouldn't she be heading home? I'm sure Rock is worried sick."

Flower shook her head.

"Nope. I got permission. Olive is sleeping over with his friends, so _I_ came here."

Claire hummed in a very high-pitched tone.

"So, this is a sleepover?"

Owen nodded.

"Yeah, if that's okay with you."

Claire shrugged.

"Yeah, it's fine, I guess. But I'll be going to bed soon, so . . ."

She lowered herself onto her side and closed her eyes. Before she could fall asleep, she felt Flower wiggling under her arm. The child snuggled up against her chest and gave a contented moo. Claire was about to push her away, but Owen skittered over and curled up between them.

Sighing with defeat, she closed her eyes and drifted off.


	22. Wasteland

Ellie sat with her knees curled up against her chest. Her wings protected her from the gale, but not much. She was trapped in a cold, wintery wasteland with a very dismal dragon. The magical bonds that Spurr had used to ensnare them had faded away a few hours ago, and since then, Elkay hadn't so much as spoken a single word. She was sitting in the snow with her back turned to Ellie. She had the same posture as the day she found out that Nublar had been firebombed. Ellie didn't know what to say to comfort her. She was a little nervous that the dragon would blame her for Zebil's death. Maybe it _was_ her fault. She didn't really know.

Finally, drawing up all of her courage, Ellie slid over to where Elkay was sitting. She put her hand on the dragon's arm, but she didn't react. Ellie pulled away and sighed.

"Elkay, I didn't mean for him to die. I never thought in a million years that Spurr would . . . I mean . . . I'm sorry."

Elkay didn't respond. Ellie bit her lip.

"I wish I could have saved Zebil, but-"

"Richard."

Ellie blinked.

"Sorry, what?"

Elkay stared ahead with glazed eyes.

"His real name was Richard."

Ellie nodded and rested her chin on her knees. After a moment, Elkay reached over slowly and picked her up, holding her in the crook of her arm. Ellie prepared to break free and run for her life.

"Listen, I would have saved him if I could, but-"

She felt large tears landing on her shoulders. Elkay pressed her face against Ellie and started sobbing.

"He's gone, Ellie. He's gone forever."

Ellie hugged her snout.

"I'm sorry . . ."

"I don't have any friends from Asterpara. He was the only one. We've had each other for billions of years. Now he's gone, and he's never coming back, because he's not going to the Beneath. He was good. He was good, and I'm never going to see him again. I'm all alone."

Ellie felt tears streaming down her own cheeks.

"I'm so, so sorry. I wish I had just kept my mouth shut."

The dragon whimpered and squeezed her tightly.

"You're all I have now. You're all that's left."

Ellie swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Shhh. It's okay. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving . . ."

They sat together for a while, both sobbing quietly. After a moment, Elkay placed her granddaughter gently in the snow.

"We're stuck here."

"No, we aren't. We can always fly back."

Elkay shook her head.

"I can't. I can't go back. I can't face my mother again. I have to stay here. You can go alone. Just go."

Ellie closed her eyes. After a moment, she sat down.

"I'm not leaving. Whatever happens, it doesn't matter to me. I promised to stay by your side, and that's what I'm gonna do."

Elkay wiped her eyes.

"But you have a story to narrate."

Ellie gave a weak smile.

"Family is more important."

Elkay whimpered quietly and picked her up again. Ellie returned the hug.

"I'm sorry for making your life so much more complicated than it needed to be," Elkay whispered.

"That's okay," Ellie replied, "If I was given the choice to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing."

They said nothing after that, but they didn't really have to. Ellie knew that her grandmother needed her, and she was prepared to stay with her for as long as possible.

Ellie wasn't joking when she said that she wouldn't change the past if she could; up until she was thrown into the middle of a raging ice storm, things were going pretty well for her. She liked her life. She liked her family, she liked her friends, and she liked the home she'd made for herself. All of that took precedence over a stupid little story. As much as she was needed elsewhere, nothing could be more important than this.

No matter what, she couldn't let anyone feel unloved.


	23. Rainy Days And Mondays

Claire sat at the mouth of her cave, watching as water poured down in streams from the curved entranceway. It had started to rain halfway through the day, and she had offered to let everyone stay inside of her temporary home until the bad weather cleared up. They were busy telling stories deeper inside the cavern at the moment, and she could hear them laughing jovially from where she was seated. Claire didn't really feel like joining them. Although she had made much progress with the farming and healthcare, it all felt rather pointless. These dinosaurs weren't smart enough to maintain a civilized lifestyle, and once she was gone, they'd probably fall back into their old habits. Of course, she couldn't stay with them either, or she'd be throwing her life away.

Claire hated being a stegoceratops. She hated the way she looked, she hated the way she felt, and most of all, she hated the way it made her see the world. She didn't want to start drooling whenever she saw a patch of particularly juicy grass or use her tail to scratch her itches. She felt like an animal, and it was rather unbecoming.

"Crazy weather, huh?"

Claire looked down at Owen, who crawled out of the shadows to join her.

"Do you think the water is coming from the ceiling? It must be magic, since they have a fake sun . . ."

When Claire didn't answer, Owen leaned against her foot, nuzzling her gently.

"What's wrong?"

"You've been letting Flo- _you know who_ call you 'Dad'."

Owen bit his lip.

"Claire, I . . . I can't say 'no'."

She nodded.

"I'm not upset about that. It's just a remark. We can't stay here forever, though."

"Why not?"

"We'd miss our lives."

Owen shrugged.

"I wouldn't mind. I don't particularly like being a rodent, but I guess I could deal with it for the sake of the tribe."

Claire closed her eyes.

"I can't stay this way. I thought we could fix me by coming here, but it turns out there's nothing that can change what I am. I just have to keep hiding it."

"I'm sorry, Claire."

She shook her head.

"I'm no worse off than I was before."

Owen nodded. The two of them stared out into the misty, grey landscape through a curtain of rain. After a moment, Owen looked up at her with a pained expression.

"I'm staying here, Claire."

She took a deep breath.

"I can't stay."

Owen swallowed the lump in his throat.

"But I'm still staying . . ."

Claire nodded. Owen folded his ears back.

"Claire . . . are we breaking up?"

She took a shaky breath. Before she could answer, they heard a faint voice in the distance.

"Owen!"

They both looked at each other, not knowing if they had heard correctly.

"Owen! Where are you?!"

Owen pricked his ears. His whiskers twitched, and he leaned forward.

"That sounded like Barry . . ."

"Owen!" the voice called again.

"It's Barry! It's definitely Barry!" Owen exclaimed.

"What? How could he possibly get here?" Claire gasped.

" _We_ did."

"Yes, but there was a magical flying whale involved."

Two bright beams of light appeared in the darkness. When they heard the sound of a motor, they went rigid.

"He's driving a car!" Owen gasped, "Claire, we can't let him come this way. If the stegoceratopses see him, they'll freak out."

"That's not our problem."

Owen frowned.

"Claire, I want these guys to trust me if I'm going to stay here. We can't let them see Barry."

Claire sighed.

"You . . . Look, we'll discuss this later. For now, let's go and see what he wants."

They charged into the pouring rain, wincing as the cold water drenched their scales and fur. Owen climbed up on Claire's shoulder and shivered. He ducked behind her frill to get out of the rain, only to find that it dribbled on him harder whenever she moved her head.

As they approached the turning headlights, they saw the silhouette of a green smartcar making its way across the plains. Claire charged forward until they were only a few feet away. The vehicle stopped. Owen slid down Claire's face and landed on the car's hood. He looked through the front windshield, only to find that nobody was inside the driver's seat. With a puzzled frown, Owen stood up on his hind legs and called out to his friend.

"Barry? Where are you?"

"You're standing on me," the car replied.

Owen gave a surprised yelp and fell backwards. Claire caught him before he could hit the ground. He scampered up to her frill and stared down at the car with wide eyes.

"Barry? Oh my god! Why are you a car?"

"Why are you a rat? Why is your friend a mouse-rhinoceros?"

Claire blinked.

"Mouse-rhinoceros? That isn't even close!"

Owen continued to stare at Barry, his mouth agape.

"Barry . . . You're a machine! How did that happen? Was it magic?"

Barry bounced up and down on his front wheels in an attempt to nod.

"My soul was put inside a magic pot, and the pot fell on a car when the purple-haired witch dropped it. I think the car belonged to the people who are after you, because there's a GPS inside of me that told me their pla-"

Claire lifted her foot.

"I'm sorry, I can't let this go. _Mouse-rhinoceros_? Barry, you've _seen_ dinosaurs before . . ."

Owen frowned in contemplation.

"How are you able to see and hear us without eyes and ears?"

Barry shrugged.

"I see out of my headlights and my mirrors are ears, I guess."

Owen blinked.

"That doesn't seem possible."

Barry sighed.

"Maybe not, but that's the way it is. In any case, I'm not about to question it, because we have bigger problems."

"What?" Owen and Claire asked in unison.

Barry looked at them grimly.

"There's an army of elephants heading this way. They're going to arrive by sunset tomorrow."

***TSJWFEW***

A din of fearful murmurs and worried whispers flooded the cave as Claire prepared to address her people. The heavy rain had stopped, so there was nothing to block out the sound of her voice. Owen stood to her right on top of the largest rock in the cavern. Barry had parked himself in the center of the crowd after telling the two of them everything he had overheard while his soul was being carried in the witch's pot. Now, it was up to the queen of the stegoceratopses to relay the information back to her people. It was finally time to be honest with the poor dinosaurs, but only as honest as Claire could afford to be in her sensitive predicament. She cleared her throat, and the crowd fell silent.

"Hello, everyone. I'd like to start by telling you that the rumors are true: the war elephants are on their way to the valley."

Just as Claire expected, the crowd erupted into a fit of terrified shrieks. She held up her foot to silence them.

"I know you're afraid, but there's no reason to panic. I have a plan."

She puffed out her chest boldly.

"We have until sunset tomorrow to prepare for the attack, and between now and then, I have no doubt that we can learn to defend ourselves. Just look at what we did back in the prairies. Two days ago, none of you knew how to plow a field, and now we have entire rows of corn planted. This war is kind of like farming, only instead of planting corn, we'll be fighting elephants."

Rock stepped forward.

"Do you really think we can prepare by tomorrow?"

Claire nodded.

"Absolutely. I have no doubt that we'll be able to face whatever comes our way, as long as we work together."

Rock turned to the other stegoceratopses.

"If the queen says it can be done, it can be done."

There was a loud cheer. Claire smiled, but her face fell shortly after.

"There's one more thing . . . After this war is over, I'll be going home to . . . Well, I'll be going home. I'm not leaving you alone, however. I've decided . . . I've decided to leave Owen behind so that he can teach you how to live comfortably in your valley."

She paused to keep her voice from breaking.

"I'm sure that, as long as he stays here, you'll always be safe. He's kind and sweet and-"

She realized that she was going off on a tangent, and coughed lightly. She gulped and closed her eyes.

"You'll be safe here, I promise. That is all."

She turned away quickly before they could see the tears in her eyes and jogged out of the cave. It was sprinkling gently outside, but Claire didn't notice. She made her way over to a small creek and sniffled. She heard Owen running up to her even before he pushed through the long grass.

"Claire?"

"Yeah?" she quavered in a creaky voice.

"Claire, if you're really upset about me staying, I can come back with you."

Claire sniffed and shook her head.

"No, Owen, you belong here. You've made friends so easily, and Flo- _she_ really needs you . . ."

Owen sighed.

"No, that's not true. Rock and Sandy could take care of her. I didn't want to admit it, because I was so wrapped up in the idea of . . ."

He trailed off.

"Having a family?" Claire suggested.

"Yeah, that," Owen said, nodding slowly, "But here's the thing: I can't really imagine myself being part of a family if you're not there. Without you, it doesn't feel . . . complete, I guess."

Claire smiled sadly.

"Kind of a bold thing to claim, considering we've only been on one date."

Owen laughed.

"Yeah, I guess."

They sat quietly for a moment. Owen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and balled up his hands.

"Claire, I'm not really good at all of this emotional stuff, but I'm going to try to explain my . . . _feelings_."

Claire snuffed.

"Don't strain yourself."

Owen gulped.

"Okay, here it goes. So, whenever I see you, I get this happy buzz, like I'm really glad that you're nearby. I don't like being alone anymore. I . . . I see you, and I just kind of light up and . . . Oh, god. This sounds _really_ stupid."

Claire shrugged noncommittally.

"Go on."

Owen took a deep breath.

"The thing is, I feel like we're part of a matching set now; kind of like two bookends, only one of us is sometimes a dinosaur and . . . Let me restart. I feel like we're two magnets: no matter what size we are, we're still attracted . . . No, that's even worse."

Claire smiled.

"It's alright. I know what you're trying to say. I just worry that you might be making the wrong commitment. We've only been together for a few days . . ."

"But I've known these dinosaurs for an even shorter amount of time," Owen pointed out, "I just got so attached to the idea of-"

He broke off when he saw Flower waddling towards them. The child stumbled down a small hill and bumped up against Claire's leg.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"It's okay, Peanut," Owen said sweetly, "Why aren't you with your brother?"

Flower shrugged.

"He's bragging about how he fought off a monster once."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Did he _actually_ fight a monster?"

Flower raised her eyebrow.

"What do _you_ think?"

Owen laughed.

"Well, let him have his fun. You can help us with a special task. Are you able to find some long vines?"

Flower nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! I know exactly where to look!"

Owen smiled.

"Can you bring us a few?"

She smiled.

"Of course!"

Owen nodded quickly.

"Good girl. Tell the others to look too, in case you don't find any."

Flower galloped away.

"I will! Don't worry!"

Claire turned to Owen with a knowing smile.

"You're planning something . . ."

Owen grinned sneakily.

"Maybe. You'll have to wait and see."


	24. Toondra Im Toondra

A few hours passed before Elkay was able to stand. When she did, Ellie urged her to find shelter, because she was starting to look like a living ice cube. They trudged through the snow slowly, though Ellie tried to get them to move faster. She ran ahead of the dragon, then back to her side, then out front again, hoping she would adjust her speed. She didn't. It wasn't long before Ellie heard a heavy "whump", and turned to see the dragon lying in the snow. She groaned and sprinted over.

"Elkay, I know you're sad, but we have to keep moving. If we don't, we'll freeze to death."

Elkay looked up at her miserably.

"That's just it, though. I'm freezing. I never told you this, since I was so ashamed of it, but I have this condition where I have a low tolerance for cold. I'm literally going to die in a few minutes."

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god! Is there anything I can do?"

Elkay shook her head.

"I'd rather you didn't. Use your magic to get home safely."

Ellie put her hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"You know I can't do that."

Elkay sighed.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just going through some emotional . . . _things_ . . . right now, so you'd better not listen to anything I say. Use your best judgment, I guess. I give up."

Ellie looked at the shivering dragon sadly and formed a magic dome around them. She could feel her magic depleting, and it was making her uncomfortable. If she were to get stuck in the frozen wasteland, it was more than likely that she would freeze to death. Instead of thinking too hard about the repercussions of her sympathy, Ellie decided to focus on something else.

"Why do you think your mother is trying to fight us?"

Elkay gave a light shrug.

"She doesn't love me. Or maybe she does, and she's concerned for me. I don't know."

Ellie twisted her mouth.

"Well, whatever reason she has to defy us, she considered it worth committing to. I knew her for many, many years before all of this."

Elkay scoffed.

"Years are nothing to her. She's old. Older than me, even."

Ellie hummed.

"Well, yes. She would have to be. What's her story?"

Elkay rolled onto her belly and sat up straight.

"Her name is Neithhotep. They say she was one of the first dragons, and dragons are as old as the Universe itself. She saw many kings and queens in her lifetime, but she never expected me to be one. I think she wanted it for herself. She was sort of a vigilante, my mother. It was her who made the Beneath."

Ellie nodded.

"And you copied her idea with the Purgatorium?"

Elkay snuffed.

"Maybe. Kind of. Look, the point is, she rounded up countless scoundrels, so I'm assuming she expected some sort of recognition. That's just a theory. I have no idea why she'd interfere with our story, though. It seems everyone wants to cause a little chaos. I'm sorry she ruined what you had planned."

"It's not your fault."

Elkay sighed.

"It kind of is, though. I shouldn't have involved myself in your business. You'd probably be better off without me."

Ellie hummed.

"Maybe, maybe not. That doesn't matter. Right now, we need each other."

Elkay nudged her closer with her tail.

"Okay. Alright. Can we still figure this out?"

Ellie shook her head.

"By this point, I have no control over the narrative. Claire was supposed to arrive earlier so that she could train the stegoceratopses properly, and with June's elephants on the move, she won't have much of a chance. They'll have to evacuate the valley."

Elkay nodded.

"I see what you did there, by the way. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel as organic as _your_ story did."

"That's because it's synthetic. I tried to plan it out with every variable in mind, but I guess I could never be one hundred percent prepared."

Elkay chuckled lightly.

"I guess so. You know, we could always activate a plot hole and end this whole mess."

Ellie shook her head.

"No, that's a last resort. I'm not sure what the consequences would be."

Elkay lifted one ear.

"How exactly would we go about it, anyway?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Find something that doesn't make sense."

"Like why you would send both Owen and Claire to the valley even though the stegoceratopses are afraid of humans?"

Ellie shook her head.

"No, that isn't one. I planned to have Owen hide while Claire interacted with the tribe. I'm kind of glad things turned out differently. Owen seems to really get along with the stegoceratopses."

Elkay smiled.

"Does that mean he'll stay with them?"

Ellie shrugged.

"I don't know. He really loves Claire. I don't think he'd leave her."

They fell silent when they saw a dark shape approaching them through the blizzard. As it drew nearer, Ellie could make out the silhouette of a felidragon. Elkay pricked her ears and ran forward.

"Igloo!"

"Tundra," the felidragon replied, "But I appreciate the effort."

Elkay nodded.

"What have you been up to, Tundra?"

"I'm trying to do a spiritual journey of isolation and self-discovery."

"And how is that going?"

"Well, I met up with you, so that kind of ruins the point."

Elkay's ears flattened.

"Oh. Sorry."

Tundra shrugged.

"Whatever. I can start over tomorrow. What brings _you_ here?"

"Your grandmother banished us," Elkay said.

Tundra gave a knowing look.

"Oh, so you met her? Yeah, she offered to let me take revenge on you for leaving me in a dumpster, but I said 'no'."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Can I get back to my solitude now?"

Elkay nodded.

"Sure, sure. Knock yourself out."

Tundra licked her paws.

"Oh, by the way, if you're looking for leverage, Neithhotep is emotionally attached to that starfish, Raven. She's the one with purple hair. It shouldn't be too hard to convince her to join you. She's a brat."

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"That . . . is actually a viable option at this point."

Tundra nodded.

"Good. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my nothing."

Elkay smiled and turned away.

"Alright. Thanks, Parka!"

She turned and dashed away, sending up a cloud of snow. Ellie followed on wing. Tundra watched them both disappear, then sighed with exasperation.

"What an idiot."


	25. Betrayal

The light of the false sun soaked the valley in a warm glow. Every now and then, a cloud would drift by, making the ground cool and shady. It was a welcomed blessing on such a hot day. Below, all five hundred stegoceratopses were busy weaving what looked like a giant net. They worked in teams, using their horns to pinch the vines and tie the ends together the way Owen instructed them to. He examined every knot, moving from row to row until he was satisfied. He frowned in concentration, tightening the loops and securing what lay in between. Claire followed him, unsure of what to do.

"Owen, we can't catch elephants with a net made of vines."

Owen crossed his arms and frowned.

"That's not the plan."

Claire raised her eyebrow.

"Then what is?"

Owen beamed proudly.

"We'll tie the ends of this net to the supports on the mountain pillars. Then, we'll cover it with leaves. When the elephants arrive, they'll come the way we did, and the net will look like the ground. It's like a pitfall. When they're all on top of it, we'll let it drop, and they'll plummet into the canyon below."

Claire frowned.

"Alright. Do you want to hear everything wrong with your plan?"

Owen's whiskers twitched.

"Go ahead."

Claire cleared her throat.

"First of all, what if they use the entrance Barry came from?"

"Bo blocked it off already."

"What if the vines break before all the elephants are on?"

"I learned this knot from the navy. It's strong enough to hold the elephants."

"What if there are more than you expect?"

"Barry's radar says that there are thirty elephants."

"What if the net sags or the leaves blow away? They'll discover our plan."

"Elephants are smart, but probably not _that_ smart."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"There will be people _riding_ them, genius."

Owen shrugged.

"Alright. So, we'll scare them onto the net by sneaking up behind them, like a buffalo jump."

Claire twisted her mouth.

"Do you think they'll be scared of dinosaurs?"

"They _will_ be if we set their thagomizers on fire."

Claire's eyes went wide.

"That sounds dangerous."

"We're fighting elephants. It's not exactly going to be a cakewalk."

Claire grimaced.

"Owen, I'm not sure about this."

He put his paw on her horn.

"Claire, trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Owen . . ."

"You don't have to worry about a thing. We'll get rid of the elephants, say goodbye, and be on our merry way."

Claire blinked.

"You're coming back with me?"

Owen nodded.

"I am. I love you, Claire."

She smiled, and was surprised to feel tears trickling down her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly.

"Sorry. I think I have allergies."

Owen smiled and continued to adjust the giant net, his little hands flying. Claire watched him for a while, then left to help the others. She found a comfortable spot on the opposite end of the net and sat down, waiting to answer any questions that the workers had. Sandy lumbered over and stood beside her, smiling eagerly. It was obvious that she had good news, and was itching to share it with the queen. Claire smiled pleasantly and cocked her head.

"What's new?"

"I took your advice and talked to Rock!" Sandy trilled.

Claire blinked.

"My advice? . . ."

Sandy nodded.

"Yeah. I sent Owen to ask you about my predicament, and he told me that you said to have confidence in myself."

Claire hummed.

"He . . . Um, yes. I remember. Go on."

Sandy beamed.

"Well, it turns out that Rock is interested in a relationship!"

Claire nodded politely.

"Right. So, do stegoceratopses go on dates, or how does that work?"

When Claire saw the confused look on Sandy's face, she knew that she had slipped up.

"Um . . . What I meant was, I only ever date rodents, so I don't know how it works for _you_ guys."

Sandy narrowed her eyes.

"Why do you only date rodents? . . ."

Claire gulped.

"Well . . . If they try to dump me, I can just step on them."

Sandy nodded.

"That makes sense."

Claire was positive that it _didn't_ make sense, but as long as it shut her up, she wouldn't bring up the lack of logic.

"I'm really glad we could be friends," Sandy said sincerely.

Claire was caught off guard by the remark, and it took her a moment to respond.

"You consider me a friend?"

Sandy nodded rapidly.

"Of course. You're the best friend I've ever had. Most people can't stand listening to me for more than five minutes."

Claire bit her lip.

"Oh, Sandy . . . I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it, dear," the stegoceratops replied, "I feel so much more at home when you're around. I'm sure Sky would say the same thing. You inspired him to take up cave-painting."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Wow. I had no idea you guys liked me so much. I haven't done anything to deserve your respect."

"Well, you _are_ helping us win a war . . ."

Claire shook her head.

"No, it was Owen's idea. He's the real war hero. He was in the Na-"

She coughed.

"Erm, he was in a special band of military rodents."

Sandy grinned.

"Speaking of military . . ."

Suddenly, a small stegoceratops crashed into Claire's leg. She winced and shook him off.

"Yeah! I got you!" the child growled.

"You're Olive, aren't you?" Claire asked.

The stegoceratops puffed out his chest.

"Yeah! Did I hurt you?"

Claire shook her head.

"No, Sweetheart. You don't have to worry."

Olive hummed disappointedly.

"Oh, poo. Now they won't let me fight the el'phunts."

Claire giggled.

"Olive, they wouldn't let you fight anyway. You're only a child."

Olive frowned.

"I am _not_ a child! And I'm very brave!"

Claire smiled.

"Of course you are, Sweetheart. Just don't go looking for trouble, okay?"

Olive snorted.

"You aren't my mother!"

Sandy stepped between them.

"No, but she's your queen. Smarten up, or I'll give you a smacking."

Olive pouted bitterly and scuttled away. Claire gave Sandy a worried look.

"You weren't serious about the smacking, were you?"

Sandy laughed.

"No. I just like to give him a scare now and then. He's a little brat. God, I hate kids."

Claire's eyes went wide.

"But you have to- I mean- Don't you ever consider-"

Sandy shook her head.

"No. Babies are fine. They're cute and they don't talk back. Kids are trouble. They're sticky and smelly and-"

"Sandy! Don't _say_ that!" Claire shrieked, "Without you, Olive and his sister will have no guidance! And Flow- Erm, Olive's sister . . . she's so nice. Oh, Sandy, if you could just get to know her, you'd think she's the sweetest kid around. She's so cute and innocent and she loves everyone no matter what. She's wonderful."

"Why don't _you_ adopt her, then?"

Claire looked away quickly.

"I- I can't. I have to go home."

"Take her with you."

Claire shook her head.

"That's impossible."

Sandy hummed ominously.

"Well, you'd better tell _her_ that before it's too late. She's still hoping that you'll stay."

"How do you know?"

Sandy shrugged.

"I heard her praying last night. She said, 'Please, let Claire change her mind. I know I probably don't deserve a mom like her, but I love her so much'. Something along those lines, anyway."

Claire felt her heart being ripped out of her chest. She took a few shaky breaths and turned away from Sandy.

"I have to go."

"Where?"

"Nowhere, probably."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen handed Flower the end of a vine. He was teaching her how to tie his special knot, and she was certainly learning fast. She looped the vine through one of the crosses and tugged with all of her might. Owen yanked it to make sure it was secure and smiled.

"That's five. You're really good at this, you know."

Flower grinned.

"You showed me how. Are you going to teach me more things?"

"Like what?"

"Like how to start fires."

Owen laughed.

"No, Peanut, I don't think I will. Fire is dangerous. You could hurt yourself. Besides, it would take too long."

Flower nuzzled her face against him.

"I don't mind. We have all the time in the world."

Owen tried not to give away his sentiments, but he couldn't help but fold his ears back sadly. Flower frowned and cocked her head.

"Do you not want to teach me?"

Owen gulped.

"No, it's not that . . ."

"Do you think I couldn't learn?" Flower pressed.

Owen shuffled his feet.

"No."

"What, then?"

Owen looked down at the ground.

"Flower, we may not have forever . . ."

After a pause, her face fell.

"You're leaving."

Owen tried not to cry when he saw the expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Flower. Really, I am. I'd love to stay here with you, but I can't leave Claire."

Without warning, Flower collapsed and started sobbing into her front feet.

"You're leaving with Claire because she doesn't want to be here. She doesn't love me."

Owen shook his head fiercely.

"No, no, Peanut, that's not true . . ."

"It was the same with my parents. They left one night and didn't come back. I didn't know they were dead until my uncle told me."

Owen felt tears soaking his fur.

"Flower, don't be upset. I'll visit you, I promise. It's not like we won't see each other again . . ."

Flower whimpered and covered her eyes.

"You don't love me . . . You don't love me . . ."

Owen pulled her hands away from her face and looked at her seriously.

"Flower, I love you. Don't ever think that I don't. If I had the choice to stay here-"

He saw Claire approaching and fell silent. Flower noticed that he was trying to be quiet, so she tried to suppress her sniffling as well. Claire stood above them both, looking down at them with a neutral expression. Even though she knew perfectly well what they were crying about, she asked anyway.

"What's wrong?"

Flower squealed and covered her eyes again, shaking fiercely. Owen bit his lip and looked up at Claire.

"She's just a little upset because I told her I'm leaving."

Claire pulled back her head in a slightly exaggerated gesture.

"Why'd you do that?"

Owen frowned.

"Well, I can't just tell her that I'm staying . . ."

"Why not?"

Owen's jaw dropped.

"Claire, I'm following you!"

She gave a sneaky smile.

"That means you won't be leaving. I'm staying here."

Flower peeked out from under her feet and looked up at Claire with wide eyes.

". . . Really?"

Claire nodded.

"Mhm. I've decided to take care of you and all of the other stegoceratopses."

When she was absolutely sure that Claire was telling the truth, Flower leapt to her feet and ran over to give Claire a hug. Claire sat down and caught the child with open arms, laughing happily. Owen joined in too, scampering onto Claire's shoulder. Flower began giggling uncontrollably.

"I have a mom! I have a dad! I have parents!"

Claire gave a wide smile.

"That's right, and we'll never let you down. I promise, we'll do everything within our power to make you happy."

Flower nuzzled her face against Claire's chest.

"I love you, Claire!"

She squeezed her tight.

"I love you too, Flower."

Claire didn't realize her mistake until it was too late. Her grip loosened as she felt a wave of nausea wash over her, and Flower slid down her stomach. Owen pricked his ears in alarm. He knew.

"Flower, we have to go for a minute," he said, trying desperately to conceal the fear in his voice.

"Why?" Flower asked.

"We- urk! We just have to check on something," Claire winced.

"But-"

"Shhh! Just listen to us, Flower!" Claire snapped.

To her horror, saying the word twice increased the rate of transformation. She quickly ducked under the net of vines to conceal herself, seeing no other hiding place. The rest of the tribe, meanwhile, had noticed that something was wrong. They approached the shrinking bump beneath the tangled foliage and began to whisper anxiously.

"Claire? Claire, are you alright?" Sandy asked.

She waddled over to the edge of the net and began to lift it with one horn. Owen darted forward and tried to hold her back.

"SANDY, NO!"

It was too late. Sandy trumpeted with fear and reared up on her hind legs. She dashed away, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"HUMAN! HUMAN! HUMAN!"

Unclear on the meaning of her words, Rock moved forward.

"Claire, what's going on under there?"

Claire poked her fully-changed head out from underneath the blanket of vegetation. Rock froze, unsure of how to react.

"Don't panic . . ." Claire said weakly.

"Oh my god, it's Claire!" Rock gasped.

"Yes, yes, it's me, but I can explain . . ."

"CLAIRE IS A HUMAN!"

With this, the colony erupted into stampeding chaos. Claire struggled to keep herself from falling under the pounding feet and thrashing horns. She noticed that Flower was having trouble finding her way out of the mess, and scooped her up before she could be trampled. The child tried to wiggle out of her grasp, screaming shrilly all the while.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! OWEN, HELP!"

Finally, she swiped her tail across Claire's face, leaving a small cut on her cheek. Startled, Claire dropped the child and fell to her knees.

"Flower! Come back!"

The other stegoceratopses had already thundered out of the field, and Flower had a clear path to Owen, who had been cowering behind a small rock to avoid being squished. She scurried over and tried to push him away from Claire with her face.

"Run, Owen! She's a human! We're not safe!"

Owen nodded rapidly.

"I know she's a human, Flower, but we're perfectly safe. It's still Claire. She's the same as she always was."

Flower shook her head.

"No! No! No! She's a _human_!"

"Yes, but so am I."

Owen wasn't sure what he hoped to accomplish by admitting this. Maybe he was just fed up with all of the lies. In any case, it didn't help their predicament, because Flower gave up on protecting him from Claire and began to back away in fear.

"Flower, don't be afraid . . ." Owen said, reaching out gently.

The child continued to back up until she bumped into Claire's leg. She turned around and looked up at the person who she had, not ten minutes earlier, been calling "mother" and shrunk away in horror. Claire felt tears stinging at her eyes as she crouched down to speak with her.

"Flower . . . I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me. I'm on your side."

She reached out slowly. For a moment, it seemed as though Flower would let Claire touch her. Then, she whipped around and bolted away, leaving Owen and Claire alone. They watched her leave with heavy hearts. Their sadness was so great that they didn't even notice Barry driving out of the jungle.

"Hey, guys! What'd I miss?"


	26. Lungs

Elkay peeked out from behind a crate of fireworks. She and Ellie had attempted to fly to Cambodia, only to find that they had enough wingpower to make it to China before it became necessary to take a break. It was around noon, and the streets were terribly crowded. Elkay shrunk down and took the shape of a human.

"I think this calls for special maneuvers. Cover me."

She rolled across the ground before Ellie could stop her. When she was out in the open, she stood up and jogged over to a man playing the shamisen, which struck Ellie as odd, considering shamisens were from Japan and not China. In any case, the not-currently-a-dragon strutted up to his seat and smiled.

"Huà, huà, huà, huà, huà?" she asked.

"Shénme?" the man replied.

"Wǒ shuō zhōngguó huà." she insisted.

"Wǒ bù míngbái." he said apologetically.

"Bǎ nǐ de jiāhuo zài wǒ ěr biān." she instructed.

After a long pause, Elkay trotted back to Ellie.

"Yeah, I don't actually speak Chinese, so . . ."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Look, we have to find a way to get to Cambodia quickly. We could fly, but I don't know how much energy that'll take. Plus, I'll be using a tracking spell when we arrive. We need to locate this purple-haired girl."

"Who? Raven? Did you know that she's technically Robin's sister?"

Ellie blinked.

"How?"

"Long story. Anyway, are you _sure_ she's in Cambodia?"

Ellie nodded.

"Where else would she be?"

Elkay shrugged.

"Right there."

She pointed to a purple-haired girl walking down the street. The teen had a phone in her hands and a wand tucked under her armpit. She didn't seem to notice them staring at her.

"Oh. She must be looking for us," Ellie guessed.

"What do we do?" Elkay asked.

"Kidnap her."

"Okay!"

Without warning, Elkay grabbed a frying pan from a nearby food stand and conked the teen on the head. She screamed and fell to the ground, placing her hand over the point of contact.

"Shit! I thought I'd knock her out on the first try!"

Elkay bonked the girl a few more times before she realized that she wouldn't pass out. Ellie slapped her forehead and flew over to help. After a brief struggle, they ended up carrying the girl into the sky by her arms and legs, leaving a dozen witnesses petrified in the process. Elkay changed back into a dragon to make the task easier, but promptly dropped the half she was carrying and let Ellie do all the work. The girl thrashed around as she was held by her legs, dangling like a plucked chicken.

"Let go of me! Who are you? Why do you have wings?"

"Because a bell rang!" Ellie snapped, "Just shut up and hold still."

The girl frowned.

"Oh, wait. You're Ellie Sattler, aren't you? Are you holding me hostage?"

"You'd better believe it!" Elkay grinned, "It's time to settle the score."

Ellie slapped her with one wing.

"Shush! This isn't about revenge. This is a bargain. We need to make sure that June is safe."

Elkay's jaw dropped.

" _June_? Why _June_? Shouldn't you be more concerned about Claire?"

Ellie shook her head.

"I promised Henry that I wouldn't let anything happen to his daughter."

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"I think you need to sort out your priorities. June is a monster. We can't fix her."

"That's what everyone thought about Henry when he first came back. June is only a child, and a very misguided one, at that. She's not beyond redemption. We can save her."

'Not if you continue to kidnap my daughter.'

Ellie winced as Neithhotep's voice entered her mind.

"You . . ."

'Give her back, or things will get a lot worse for you and your friend.'

"Nothing is worse than losing Zebil," Elkay whispered.

Ellie was surprised that Elkay could hear her too, and wondered if it had always been that way. Whatever the case may be, she wasn't about to give in to the ancient dragon's threat.

"We aren't going to hurt your daughter, but if you don't hear us out, I can't guarantee that she'll remain safe for very long," Ellie declared assertively.

'How would you feel if I took one of _your_ adopted children?'

Ellie froze in fear. Her wings went rigid as she flew through the clouds.

'You can relax. I won't do it. I'm not a villain like you.'

Elkay snarled.

"Hey, _we're_ the good guys!"

Neithhotep hummed.

'Let's examine the evidence, shall we? So far, you've blown up my fortress, killed several of my finest guards, and kidnapped my daughter. All _I_ did was bring a date-rapist to justice.'

Elkay roared in fury.

"How dare you!"

'It's funny, Zebil committed several horrendous crimes, but he still managed to make it to Elliesium, whereas _you_ were sent to a land of eternal pain and suffering. Before your granddaughter bailed you out, that is . . .'

"And where were _you_ during all of this?" Ellie sassed.

'Minding my own business, of course. Did it ever occur to you that people who go to the Beneath _belong_ there?'

Ellie shook her head.

"Everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves."

'How many chances are you willing to give?'

"As many as it takes."

Neithhotep laughed.

'You're _so_ naïve. People are inherently evil.'

"Then we must teach them to be good."

Elkay folded her ears back.

"All of this arguing is getting us nowhere. Why don't you come find us, Mother, so we can discuss this in person?"

'Very well. But first, you will let go of my better daughter.'

Ellie frowned.

"Make me."

'Fine. Have it your way.'

Suddenly, Raven shrunk and changed shape. Ellie looked down and found that she was holding a purple starfish. She gave a terrified yelp and dropped the creature. As it fell, Neithhotep shot out of a portal and carried it to safety. Elkay adjusted her speed, beating her wings furiously.

"Nice going, Ellie!"

"Hey, why didn't _you_ catch her?"

"Oh, shut up and fly!"

They fell silent as they pursued the old, yellow dragon. She was fast for someone her age, and had no trouble outrunning them.

"Follow me, poor ignorant children. I'll take you on a journey to show you just what happens when you put your needs before the needs of others."

Elkay crinkled her beak.

"Yeah, well . . . Right now, I need _you_ to shut up!"

Ellie turned her head and gave Elkay a sardonic look. She shrugged sheepishly.

"I couldn't think of a good comeback."

Ellie shook her head and sped after their target, not wanting to waste any more time. She had no idea what Neithhotep had in store for them, but she was certain that she wasn't going to like it.


	27. The Liar

Claire watched as the stegoceratopses filtered out of the valley in a massive herd. She had changed back to her dinosaur form in an attempt to win back their trust, but they refused to approach her. All she could do was watch them from her perch on the mountain beside Cloud's cave. She perked up when she saw the old stegoceratops climbing up to meet her. Of all the dinosaurs in the valley, Cloud was the only one Claire could still talk to. She slid down the cliff with Owen clinging to her frill and skidded to a stop in front of the ancient albino.

"What did they s-"

"They're still afraid of you."

Claire's face fell.

"Did you tell them that I'm not dangerous?"

"Yes, but they think you're lying."

Claire bit her lip.

"I wouldn't lie . . . I mean . . ."

Cloud sighed.

"I don't think you can win back their trust. They are evacuating the valley permanently."

Claire closed her eyes.

"That won't be necessary. I'll just leave . . ."

Cloud shook her head.

"It wouldn't make a difference. Now that you know where we live, no one feels safe."

Claire felt her stomach twist.

"Where will you go?"

"Only time will tell. The best thing you can do now is give us a head start. The tribe will be nervous if you follow too closely."

Claire took a shaky breath.

"Isn't there a way I can convince them to trust me again?"

"I doubt it. Rock called you a traitor, and Sandy . . . Well, I don't think you want to hear what Sandy said."

Claire's eyes were starting to sting.

"And what about Flow-"

Claire realized that she had no reason to keep herself from changing, yet she couldn't bring herself to go through with it. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Will she at least let me say goodbye?"

Cloud paused.

"I don't know. I asked her, but she refused to speak. She just shook her head. You could try . . ."

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It sounds like she hates me."

Cloud looked away.

"I'm sorry."

Owen, who had been uncharacteristically silent during their exchange, leaned forward slightly.

"Does she feel the same way about me?"

Cloud sighed.

"She didn't say so specifically . . ."

Owen jumped off of Claire's head.

"I'm going to talk to her."

Claire placed her foot on his tail, pinning him in place.

"Owen, we've caused her enough grief."

He looked up at her with wet eyes.

"No! No, I can't leave her! She _needs_ me!"

Claire shook her head.

"She'd be better off without us."

Owen looked at Claire, then at Cloud, then at the stegoceratopses below. He was trembling unsteadily, and it was clear that he wouldn't be able to suppress his tears for much longer. Using what little courage he had left, he gulped and steadied his voice.

"Tell Flower that I love her, and if she ever decides to come back, I'll . . . I'll be waiting."

He wheeled around and scampered into the cave. Claire watched him leave, then turned back to Cloud.

"Can you take care of her? She needs a guardian."

Cloud nodded.

"I will protect her."

"Good. If . . . If you think she'll ever . . . I mean . . ."

Cloud nodded.

"I know. Is there anything else you want to say to her?"

Claire took a deep breath.

"She's the most wonderful child I've ever known. I would have been lucky to . . . to . . ."

She wiped away her tears.

"I know after all of this, she'll think that I must have hated her. I never did. I just didn't want to believe that I could love someone who was so different from me. But we weren't all that different. If anything, she's more human than I ever was . . ."

Claire shook her head.

"I don't know if she'll understand any of this . . ."

Cloud put her hand on Claire's.

"What should I tell her?"

Claire looked down at the herd. She saw Flower trailing near the end of the group, her head held low. As she watched the poor child straying from her peers, Claire knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"Tell her that she will always be loved, even if she doesn't realize it. Tell her that she has a lot to be proud of. Tell her . . . that no matter how many people try to convince her that she's an animal, she will always be a princess."

Cloud nodded.

"I will tell her."

She turned around slowly.

"Goodbye, Claire. I'm sorry things didn't work out differently."

She stepped down the rocky slope with tired legs. Claire turned to leave, but Cloud paused once more.

"Don't let this experience change how you feel about yourself. I told you that you were special, and I still believe it with all of my heart. Goodbye, Claire. I hope you can see your own worth, someday."

The old stegoceratops climbed down the mountain as the first rain began to fall. There was a crack of lightning, and a vicious wind began to brew. Claire watched the last of the stegoceratopses clear the valley. She could see Cloud meeting up with Flower by the exit. Although she was too far to see what was going on, Claire knew that the child wouldn't believe a word she said.

The old albino nudged Flower forward gently. Then, the two of them disappeared into the tunnel that led outside.

There came a point when Claire wasn't sure how much of the water running down her face was rain and how much was tears.

***TSJWFEW***

By the time the sun came out, Claire had already retreated to her cave. Barry drove back and forth outside, not wanting to interfere with her gloom. He stopped pacing when he saw Owen crawling through the field slowly. He sped over and bent down on his front wheels.

"Hey, Owen. Are you okay?"

Owen turned his head to conceal the redness around his eyes.

"No, Barry, I am _not_ okay. I've lost everything that matters to me, and I can't see things getting any better from here on out."

Barry gave a small shrug.

"You know what I always say: tomorrow is-"

"Another day? Yeah, well maybe it's an even _worse_ day than before."

Owen sat down on a small stone and ran his claws through his fur, sighing deeply.

"Do you remember what it was like, out on the sea?"

Barry tilted his hood to one side.

"What do you mean?"

"The calm. The quiet. That was a loneliness I could tolerate. At least it was painless."

Barry hummed.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean."

Owen shook his head.

"Why can I never protect the people I love? As much as I try to keep them safe, something always goes wrong. I've lost my family, Barry. Blue and Charlie and Delta and Echo . . . and now Flower. I'm all alone."

"What about Claire?"

Owen sniffed.

"There's no point in getting close to her. It'll only make it more painful when she leaves me. These past few days, I've been making radical promises. A part of me wanted to believe that we could last forever, that this would finally be the one relationship that sticks. It's all wishful thinking. Nothing lasts forever. Not even love."

Barry shifted into park mode and sat beside Owen. He gave a small smile and bumped his friend with his front wheel.

"You're right. Nothing lasts forever. People grow and change, and sometimes they choose to go down a different path. There's nothing you can do about it, whether you're a man or a mouse."

"Jerboa."

Barry huffed.

"Same thing. My point is, while you're sitting here worrying about change, you're losing time with what you wanted to hold onto in the first place. You may _have_ something one day and _lose_ it the next, but what you'll never have to give up is the memory of what made you happy. You can't stop a river from flowing or a seed from growing. We have no control over life or love."

Owen closed his eyes.

"Then why even bother?"

Barry gave a tender car-smile.

"Because if you don't stick around to watch the seed grow, you'll never see the flower."

Owen frowned.

"What if it's a weed?"

"Then you've wasted your time. But it's worth sitting through a billion weeds if you get to see a single bud."

Owen took a deep breath and stood up.

"I'm going to talk to Claire."

Barry smiled.

"Can I take this to mean that my motivational speech worked?"

Owen smiled.

"Well, it's a matter of principle."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Screw the weeds. I'm not about to lose my Flower."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire turned her head slightly as Owen entered the cave. He gave her a smile, but it wasn't returned. Instead, she curled her tail around her legs and looked down in shame.

"I heard you talking to Barry. You're free to leave, but I'm not coming."

Owen's face fell.

"C'mon. You _have_ to go. They're counting on you."

"They're counting on what they _imagined_ me to be," Claire said dolefully, "I thought being a stegoceratops was the worst thing in the world, but I guess being a liar is worse."

Owen cocked his head and hopped over to her foot. He sat on her toe, letting his legs dangle down loosely.

"Claire, I'm going to tell you a story."

"Oh goodie," Claire said flatly. Owen ignored her remark and cleared his throat.

"Once upon a time, there was a man named . . . Shmowen. He worked at a place called Shmurassic World with a beautiful woman named Shmlaire."

Claire hummed.

"Wild guess: is this story about _us_?"

Owen shook his head.

"No, it's about Shmowen and Shmlaire. Pay attention."

He stood up and started illustrating his story with hand gestures.

"One day, when Shmowen was walking down the hall, he bumped into Shmlaire and made her drop all of her papers. She wanted to get away from him, so she ran to the lab as fast as she could. Unfortunately, she has dropped her necklace, which Shmowen later found out was magical. Now, Shmowen wanted to return this necklace to Shmlaire, but he was worried that she might think he was just making excuses to see her again which, to be honest, he kind of was. He was seriously considering just giving the necklace to Shmlaire's assistant when he walked by the girl's washroom and heard someone crying inside. Now, Shmowen was absolutely sure that it was Shmlaire, because he had been told that she was upset about a dud egg. Well, it might have actually been because she was a Shmegoceratops at the time, but whatever. Point is, he returned the necklace and left her a little note. He didn't expect her to keep it, but one day, when he was helping her back into her office after a night of heavy drinking, he saw the note lying on her desk. Shmowen was in a bit of a bad mood, so he threw the note into the trash, but the point is, she _kept_ it. Even after that, he had his doubts. Shmlaire wouldn't give him the time of day, much less go out with him. But then, one afternoon, she came to his bungalow asking him to look over a new attraction. Suffice to say, what followed was chaotic. At one point, Shmlaire saved Shmowen from being mauled by a flying reptile. They kissed, and Shmowen got to thinking. He thought to himself, 'Hey, if this girl is willing to risk her life to save me, maybe she loves me after all'. Then he thought, 'Well, hey. We've only known each other for a little while, but I'm starting to feel something I've never felt before'. And then he thought, 'I could do this for the rest of my life'."

Owen walked forward and put his paw on Claire's horn.

"So, are you coming with me to win back the tribe?"

"No."

Owen's jaw dropped.

" _WHAT_?!"

"You can go. I'm not coming."

Owen pouted.

"Claire . . ."

"I love you, Owen, but I can't go back. The stegoceratopses see me as a traitor. I kind of am. I don't think they'll ever change their minds."

Owen folded his ears.

"Aren't you gonna _try_ , at least?"

Claire sighed.

"I don't see any reason why I should."

After a beat, Owen pricked his ears and adopted a determined expression. He hopped across the cave and rummaged around for a few seconds. He returned from the shadows with his hands behind his back. Claire gave him a questioning look. Without saying a word, he showed her a very crumpled-up flower. He set it down gently in front of her feet and stepped back. Slowly, she reached forward and pinched the stem between her toes, lifting the blossom up to her face. Owen waited.

With a newfound strength, Claire stood up and shook herself off. She shifted her weight, then reared up on her hind legs and gave a victorious moo. Owen cocked his head.

"What does _that_ mean?"

Claire grinned.

"It means I'm ready to go. Come on!"

She scooped him up and thundered into the sunlight, tearing through the fields as a warm wind began to stir the butterflies from their flowers.


	28. Beached

"Fly, little children. Try to catch up with me, if you can."

Elkay whinnied in agitation as her mother flew faster and faster. She was having trouble keeping up already, but Ellie was trailing behind, making it impossible to speed up.

"Come on, Ellie!" she snapped, "We don't have all day!"

Ellie gasped and beat her wings unsteadily.

"Can't fly . . . losing strength . . . slow down . . ."

Elkay snarled.

"I will _not_ slow down! I need to catch her!"

Ellie looked up at her with tired eyes.

"You don't need to. Don't. It's impossible."

Elkay sneered.

"Fine. You stay here, and I'll go get my mother."

"Elkay, wait!"

The dragon sped away before Ellie could stop her. Exhausted, she landed clumsily in a nearby field. She panted and rolled over, looking up at the sky.

"Don't leave me . . . Don't leave me . . ."

Suddenly, Elkay was intercepted by Neithhotep's monster. The whale-sized creature barked in a rasping voice and tore at Elkay's throat. The dragon pushed her off with ease, taunting Neithhotep cockily when she was free. Ellie watched the exchange from her resting place in the tall grass. She wanted to fly up and help, but she was too weak.

A mystical singing filled the air as another flying animal came into view. It was Balenor. He drifted across the sky, curious to see what was going on. Neithhotep said something to Elkay, who replied in a harsh tone. Ellie didn't have to guess what the conversation was about, for at that very moment, Neithhotep sent her monster to kill the whale. Ellie winced and tried to push herself up by her wings, but to no avail. She crawled forward painfully, hoping that she could somehow stop the murder.

She felt the impact of the whale crashing all the way across the field. There was a horrified shriek, and Elkay sped over to where he had fallen. Ellie closed her eyes tightly and tried to prop herself up on her elbows. She collapsed before making it all the way, and curled up miserably on the ground. A few minutes later, the dragon returned.

"Ellie? . . . Ellie? . . ."

She poked her head through the grass and spotted Ellie in her frazzled state.

"Ellie, are you hurt?"

She took a deep breath.

"Not hurt. Just tired. Is Balenor-"

"He's dead," Elkay choked, "She sent that awful monster to kill him, and- Oh, god! Ellie, I should have listened to you."

Ellie didn't have the strength to reply. She tucked her wings around her body and closed her eyes.

"Ellie?"

"Don't talk to me."

Elkay folded her ears back.

"Ellie, I didn't mean to-"

"Leave me? Actually, I'm pretty sure you did."

Elkay bit her lip and nudged Ellie with her beak.

"Ellie?"

"What."

"I'm sorry."

Ellie frowned.

"You left me. You abandoned me to carry out some stupid revenge plot. Your mother may be a murderer, but that doesn't mean _we_ have to be. I don't think you even know why you're fighting her."

"I have plenty of reasons! She-"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear your dumb excuses."

Elkay's face hardened.

"Fine. Be that way. Never mind the fact that I just lost my son-"

"You're using his death to gain pity. That's disgusting."

Elkay growled.

"I'm leaving."

"Again?"

"Hush. This is between me and my mother. I don't know why I ever involved you. You wouldn't understand."

"I sincerely hope I _don't_ understand, because that would mean she's right about you."

Elkay was flabbergasted.

"You can't be serious! After everything I've done for you-"

"What _have_ you done for me?" Ellie snapped.

"I . . . Well . . . Plenty of things, I'm sure."

Ellie shook her head.

"I don't _believe_ this. You're just as bad as _she_ is."

Elkay snorted angrily.

"Don't act all high and mighty! You've done plenty of bad things!"

"And now you're leveling," Ellie sighed, "Perfect. Just perfect."

With an indignant sneer, the dragon turned away.

"I don't need you. I'll find Neithhotep on my own."

Ellie didn't move.

"Good luck with that. Let me know when you get yourself killed so I can risk my skin to save your ungrateful soul. _Again_."

"Is that really how you feel about me?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't care."

"I don't care that you don't care."

Elkay sniffed.

"Great. Goodbye."

She turned around, but ended up making a full circle.

"Ellie, why are we fighting?"

"Because you left me."

Elkay nodded.

"Yeah . . . That was kind of a dick move. I'm sorry."

Ellie sighed.

"Your emotions are rather sporadic, aren't they?"

Elkay shrugged.

"Maybe. You were right. I was being bad. Can we just forget I said anything in the past fifteen minutes?"

"Okay."

Elkay helped Ellie to her feet. Seeing that she couldn't stand on her own, she draped her over her tail.

"You ready?"

"To chase Neithhotep?" Ellie wheezed.

"No, to go home. I figure you need the rest, and besides, what are we gonna do if we catch her? Nothing, that's what. I can't kill my own mother, and you're too nice to do it for me."

Ellie blinked.

"Um . . . Okay. Do you really want her dead?"

"Ideally, that would be nice. I guess we'll just have to wait for someone else to pick her off, eh?"

Ellie nodded.

"Sounds good."

Elkay smiled and trotted away with Ellie hanging from her tail. She gave a merry skip and let her wings bounce cheerfully.

"So, once we get home, are we going to finish your story properly?"

Ellie nodded.

"May as well. There's no reason to leave the characters hanging. I'd better catch up, speaking of which."

She pulled a scroll from her back pocket and scanned the auto-narration. It was strange to read things in her own words when she wasn't even aware that they were happening. It was like having amnesia, only she could turn it off at any time.

Ellie's eyes flitted back and forth across the page, pausing every now and then to absorb important details. After one very specific line, however, she stopped reading.

"Elkay . . ."

The dragon wasn't paying attention. Ellie yanked the end of her tail.

"Elkay!"

She craned her neck around.

"What?"

"Look."


	29. Poor Flower

Claire felt her heart pounding in her chest as she thundered across the plains. After a lengthy trek through the jungle, she had managed to come out the other side with just as much enthusiasm as when she had entered. Owen bounced up and down on her frill, leaning forward like a jockey. Barry followed close behind, trying his best to keep up as his wheels spun uncontrollably in the mud. It wasn't long before they came across a set of very distinct footprints. Claire looked down at them and laughed giddily.

"Yes! I _knew_ I was on their trail! I can smell them from a mile away . . . Or maybe that's just Dirt . . ."

Owen beamed happily, pricking his ears.

"They can't be far now! Keep running!"

"Well, I'm not about to stop, Owen!" Claire laughed merrily.

Behind them, Barry honked his horn to get their attention.

"Hey, guys, I'm gonna trail behind for a bit. All of this speeding is eating up my fuel, and I kind of need gas to move around. Unless there's an Esso nearby, I don't think I can afford to waste my miles. Go ahead and find your herd. I'll catch up with you eventually."

Owen gave him a little wave.

"Sure, Barry! See you later!"

They separated from the puttering smartcar and charged down a steep slope. Claire called out with an energetic voice as she pranced through the swaying grass.

"Rock! Sandy! Cloud! I'm back!"

There was no reply. Owen folded his ears back uncomfortably.

"They might still be mad at us. Are you sure you want to call them like this?"

Claire nodded.

"I'm through with lying. I want them to _know_ that I'm coming."

Owen plugged his ears as she shouted louder.

"DIRT! VINE! TREE! BLOSSOM! SKY! FLOWER!"

She winced as she began to change into a human.

"Shit. I forgot."

Owen slid down her growing hair and landed in the grass.

"Don't worry. We can still catch up to them. Follow me."

Claire hobbled after him on four legs until she could stand up straight. She stumbled through the grass and hopped on one foot.

"Hang on, Owen!"

She lifted her feet one by one and removed her shoes. Owen stared at her with incredulity as she tossed them to the side.

"Oh, _now_ you choose to ditch the heels?"

Claire picked him up by the scruff of the neck and bolted across the meadow.

"Who cares about some stupid shoes? I want to be with my family!"

She ran barefoot over the crest of a hill. Owen looked down at the ground and frowned in confusion.

"That's strange. The tracks are farther apart here. They must have started to run for some reason."

Claire whooped excitedly as a warm wind began to carry her across the plains.

"It's a beautiful day! Why _shouldn't_ they run?"

She sprinted over another hill and grinned. Bo was resting peacefully in the grass ahead of her. Claire ran up to him with a big smile.

"Bo! I'm back!" she cheered, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was sooner, but I was afraid you wouldn't accept-"

She froze when she placed her hand on his side. His scales were ice-cold, and his body was wet. When she pulled her hand away from his belly, it was covered with blood.

"Bo? . . ."

She hadn't seen the wounds from afar, because his scales were bright crimson. Taking shaky, terrified breaths, Claire stepped backwards and broke into a cold sweat.

"He's dead . . ."

As she turned to look away, she was met with another horrifying sight. Blossom was lying not too far away, splayed out in an unnatural pose. The grass around her was stained red. Claire stumbled over to her corpse in a trancelike state. Owen split away and scampered up to high ground. As she knelt beside Blossom's body, Claire heard him choke out a single word.

"No . . ."

Claire hurried over to where he was standing and looked over the field. The entire colony lay spread out over a large distance. Every stegoceratops was lying on their side, and none of them appeared to be breathing. Claire fell to her knees.

"This isn't happening . . . This isn't happening . . ."

She half-crawled to the battlefield with a pale complexion. Along the way, she saw Sandy draped over Rock. The torn-up grass around them indicated that they had fought until the very end. Vine, too, lay dead in the grass, his mouth parted eerily in a silent scream. Claire saw Dirt's body near him, and it took her a long while to register that he was missing his head.

She passed the rest of her friends one by one. First, there was Sky. He had wounds deep enough to show bone. Then came Tree and Stone and Boulder. They had died from some sort of impact. Between them, hundreds of unfamiliar faces, all cold and lifeless. Claire felt as though she might throw up.

As she approached Water, she noticed his chest moving ever so slightly. She limped forward and crouched down beside him, holding his head in her hands.

"Water? . . ."

It took a moment for his eyes to focus on her. When they did, his face solidified into a hateful glare.

"You're even uglier up close . . ."

Claire sobbed lightly and pressed her forehead against his beak.

"I'm sorry, Water. I'm sorry. What happened?"

"The elephants came," he wheezed, "We tried to fight them, but we were no match . . ."

He broke into a fit of coughing. Claire squeezed him tighter.

"Try to hang on, Water. If we get a doctor-"

"You've done enough," Water snarled, "This happened because of you. We would have had a fighting chance if you hadn't given us hope."

Claire didn't know what to say. She stroked his muzzle gently and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Water coughed harder than before. A trickle of blood slid down the corner of his mouth.

"You did this . . . It's your fault . . ."

He gave a gurgling cough and went limp. A few minutes later, he was dead. Claire stood up on shaky knees and stumbled away. Owen was busy running from corpse to corpse, trying to identify the victims. He scurried back to Claire, nearly out of breath.

"I don't see Flower."

Claire looked around.

"She could still be alive. She must have escaped with Cloud."

Without a moment's hesitation, Owen darted forward, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"FLOWER! . . . FLOWER! . . . FLOWER!"

They moved across the plains, calling out every few seconds. Just when it seemed she wasn't around, a tiny whimper came from an overturned log in the forest nearby. Owen ran over and looked inside. He saw a pair of amber eyes staring back at him.

"Flower?"

She inched forward. When Claire came into view, however, she shrunk away and squeaked nervously,

"Don't be afraid, Sweetheart," Claire muttered, "I won't hurt you."

Flower shook her head and backed up, whining pitifully. Owen folded his ears.

"Claire, I think you'd better go."

She looked down at him in disbelief.

"I have as much right to be here as-"

"JUST GO, CLAIRE!"

She paused, frozen with shock, then nodded reluctantly and eased away. Owen waited until she was gone, then reached forward.

"You can come out now."

Flower wiggled out of the log and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing lightly. He was greatly alarmed by the deep wounds on her side, which were still bleeding in places.

"Flower, Peanut, are you hurt?"

She nodded, shaking a fresh batch of tears out of her eyes.

"The purple monster got me. She was the one leading the elephants. We were traveling across the plains when they attacked. Olive went to fight them, and he-"

She broke off, weeping heavily. Owen stroked her cheek, trying desperately to comfort her.

"I ran away with Cloud, but she fell behind," Flower continued, "One of the elephants put his tusks through her and she fell down and . . . Owen, I don't think she's alive. I saw blood on her tongue."

Owen pressed his forehead against hers.

"Shhh . . . It's over now, Sweetie. It's okay. I'm here."

They turned their heads when they saw Claire lumbering back. She had changed into a stegoceratops. She lifted her head, looking at them timidly.

"Can I stay now? . . ."

Flower looked down, then nodded. Claire sighed with relief and ran over.

"Flow- Sweetheart, I'm so sorry for leaving you. And I'm _really_ sorry for lying. I didn't mean to frighten you. I promise, I will never, ever, _ever_ lie to you again. I love you."

Flower leaned gently against her leg.

"I love you, too."

Claire smiled through her tears and rested her chin on Flower's back. The child lowered herself onto her belly and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"I don't feel very good . . ."

Claire sat down beside her, curling her tail around her body for protection. Flower rested her head on her front feet and began to tremble.

"I'm so cold . . ."

Owen kissed her forehead and curled up beside her to keep her warm. Claire licked her wounds gently before nuzzling her.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. You're going to get better, I promise."

Flower closed her eyes.

"There are lots of butterflies out here. You were telling the truth. I saw all kinds . . ."

She gave a light whimper. Claire felt fresh tears trickling down her cheeks.

"The sun is brighter. It's so warm. I should have come here sooner."

She hiccupped, and Claire ran her front foot over her back.

"Shhh, it's okay, baby. It's okay . . ."

Flower looked up at her with teary eyes.

"I never had a mother. Thank you for coming close."

Claire smiled sadly and nudged Flower's shoulder.

"You know what? Things are going to turn out just fine. When you get better, Owen and I will take you home with us."

Flower took a shallow breath.

"Really?"

Claire nodded.

"Mhm. You're going to come live in the city. You can meet Zach and Gray, and we'll have Christmas together-"

"What's Christmas?"

Claire smiled.

"It's when we give each other presents to show how much we care."

"Do I get one?"

Claire laughed quietly.

"Of course, Sweetheart. You'll get lots and lots of presents, because we love you so much . . ."

Owen nuzzled up against Flower.

"I'm going to teach you all about the world. I'll even show you how to start a fire, if you want."

Flower blinked slowly.

"Do we have time?"

Owen nodded eagerly.

"Yes, Flower. We have forever."

They continued to make promises about everything they'd do when they got home. Flower looked up at them with sparkling, if somewhat unfocused, eyes. Claire told her what it would be like to have birthdays. Owen told her what it would be like to ride a motorcycle. Claire told Owen that she didn't think it was safe to let Flower ride a motorcycle, and they agreed to at least show her how to drive a quad. They talked and talked and talked until they fell asleep, curled up beneath a crescent moon. Claire had begun to believe that things would turn out fine after all. She fully intended to carry out every single promise she made, and then some. She drifted off with thoughts of family and parenthood flowing through her mind.

She was ready to be a mother. She had always been ready. Now there was no need to lie. Nothing stood in her way. Claire allowed herself to dream for the very first time, somehow knowing that she'd get a happy ending.

But the next morning, Flower did not wake up.


	30. Wrong

Elkay spun around on her barstool and called over a Vietnamese man behind the counter. He walked over uncertainly, obviously put off by the odd behavior of his customers. Indeed, there was no other explanation for his unease, for Elkay was human and Ellie had hidden her wings. As the man leaned forward, Elkay gave him a big smile.

"Tôi sẽ không phải bận tâm suy nghĩ của một thông điệp bí mật để giải trí bạn ."

The man gave her a funny look. Elkay hummed and turned back to Ellie, who was leaning miserably on the bar.

"I don't speak Vietnamese."

Ellie didn't reply. She didn't so much as nod. Elkay cocked her head and frowned.

"Are you okay?"

Ellie continued to stare into space vacantly.

"I screwed up."

Elkay gulped.

"I don't know what to tell you. It happens."

Ellie exhaled dolefully.

"We should have gone after Neithhotep sooner."

Elkay shook her head.

"Naw. She'd have kicked our asses."

Ellie groaned miserably.

"We really suck at this."

Elkay lifted her chin with a wise air.

"Well, it's the bubbles of nothing that really make us something."

"Isn't that an Aero slogan?"

"Maybe. By the way, why are you capitalizing 'Vietnamese'?"

"Because it's a language."

"No, before that. You used it to describe the barkeep."

"In English, you always capitalize nationality."

Elkay hummed.

"Seems inconvenient. But you'd know better than I."

"But you've been around longer."

"That's why I get confused. At least we don't have to deal with gendered nouns."

"Mhm."

Elkay poked Ellie's shoulder lightly.

"So, why are you still narrating?"

"I don't know . . . I guess I felt that I couldn't end with . . . You know . . ."

"I know. We're fixing this, right?"

"If we can."

Elkay placed her chin on her arms, leaning against the bar in a daydreamy way. After a minute, she laughed quietly.

"What's so funny?" Ellie asked.

Elkay smiled whimsically.

"I was just thinking of my father. He was a stickler for accurate grammar. Well, not _grammar,_ so much, but general language. If I used any New Asterparan words, he'd get so _mad_ . . ."

Ellie blinked.

"New Asterparan?"

Elkay nodded.

"Mhm. Asterparan is a varied tongue. Language evolves all the time, but there are those who believe that the first way is always the best way."

"How many Asterparan languages are there?"

Elkay chuckled.

"That's like asking how many English accents there are. It's impossible to keep track. Basically, you just have to try several words until you can communicate with your conversation partner properly."

Ellie frowned in puzzlement.

"That's not what Donophrion said. According to him, the language is relatively simple."

Elkay winced at the mention of her late son. She shook her head quickly.

"Donophrion spoke First Asterparan, mostly, but he needed to simplify things for his half-siblings. It's pretty much impossible to learn First Asterparan by this point, and it's really not practical. Donophrion's foster parents may have been the last to speak it."

"Who were his foster parents?"

"No idea."

They didn't speak for a few minutes after that. Elkay fiddled with her shirt sleeves idly while Ellie remained motionless. The barkeep watched them nervously, not knowing whether he should try to get rid of them or pray they wouldn't pull a crazy stunt. He decided to start polishing glasses to pass the time. For once, Ellie was the one who broke the awkward silence.

"What was your father's name?"

"Horatius."

"Hm."

After a pause, Ellie stood up.

"I think I need a second to . . . figure things out."

Elkay nodded and stepped away from the bar.

"I'm going to head to Asterpara for a bit. Don't ask why."

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"Are you going to pretend that you're abandoning me, only to show up during the final battle, armor and all?"

Elkay blinked.

"Well . . . Maybe . . . Wait, so there's going to be a final battle for sure?"

Ellie nodded.

"Unless something goes wrong. If I die, tell Alan what happened."

"Tell him yourself."

"In my theoretical situation, I'd be dead, so I couldn't."

Elkay gave a small shrug and smiled.

"Never stopped you before."

And with that, she changed back into a dragon and flew away.


	31. The Hybrid Team

Claire lumbered away from the site of the massacre with no particular direction in mind. She swayed dazedly as she made her way through the jungle, feeling her heart weighing down her chest like a clump of cement. Owen sat perched on her frill as usual, though he was absolutely silent. She would feel his tears landing on her face every now and then, which would in turn make her cry even harder. They had left the bodies behind, having no way to bury them without the proper equipment. About halfway through the day, they saw scavenger birds flocking towards what lay behind them. Claire tried her best not to think about it, but she couldn't stop herself from imagining the buzzards tearing into her friends. Finally, after a few flips of her stomach, she ran over to the bushes and threw up.

As she heaved and spat, she felt herself shrinking down to her former size. Owen grabbed her hair as it grew, holding it out of her face. When she was done, she coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She stood up on two legs, only to find that they were too wobbly to support her. She stepped on a broken twig with her bare feet and fell to her knees, grunting in pain. Owen flipped over her head in the fall, and promptly let go of her hair.

Claire crawled away from the putrid puddle she had created and collapsed in the mud. Owen lay flat on her cheek as she sobbed and gathered fallen leaves in her hand like she was kneading a blanket.

"Owen . . . Owen, what are we gonna do?" she quavered.

He tried to reply, but the words got stuck in his throat. He began to weep, letting his tears merge with hers as they fell.

"This is my fault!" Claire wailed, "It was my responsibility to protect them, and they all died!"

Owen shook his head fiercely. He still didn't have the strength to speak, but he did his best to let her know that it wasn't her fault. Claire continued to sob, ignoring his attempts to comfort her. Wet mud caked her face, but she didn't care. She simply rolled around like a dying animal, wailing at the top of her lungs.

"Owen . . . Owen . . . Owen . . ."

She jumped in surprise as a large dinosaur head poked out of the bushes. The animal had a strange purple and blue crest, and a head full of tangled, muddy hair. Claire recognized her as the same dinosaur she had seen dangling from the helicopter with Lowery. That fact, and her trademark doe-eyes, indicated that she must be-

"Vivian? . . ."

The dinosaur nodded sadly.

"Yeah. It's me. I'm stuck this way forever."

Claire gulped.

"I'm so sorry . . ."

"We could have saved me, but Lowery screwed up _big time_ ," she sneered bitterly, "Now I have to be a stupid dinosaur for the rest of my life. And we also caused the collapse of the Interdimensional Police Force, which blows. If I had been human, I could have saved María and Enrique, but I guess we can pin that on Lowery too . . ."

Claire sat up straight.

"Where _is_ Lowery?"

"He's looking for Mr. Masrani," Vivian explained, "He crashed into an anthill, but we don't know which ant his spirit got transferred into. We may have shattered the soul-pot, so it's unlikely we'll be able to give him a better body. Sucks for all of us. Except Lowery."

Claire frowned.

"I don't understand . . ."

Vivian scoffed.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. It's over. My life is over. I have to _live_ this way. What am I gonna tell my boyfriend?"

Claire wrapped her arms around her legs and put her forehead on her knees. She started crying again. Vivian blinked in surprise and pulled her neck into a gentle curve.

"Wow. I didn't think you'd be _that_ torn up about my problems . . ."

Claire sniffled.

"I'm not. My daughter just died."

Vivian's eyes went wide.

"I didn't know you had a kid . . ."

Claire wiped her nose and hiccupped.

"I did. And she was the most wonderful-"

She broke into a fit of sobbing. Vivian placed her massive foot on her shoulder.

"God, I've never seen you like this. Are you going to be okay?"

Claire coughed.

"No!"

Vivian nuzzled the top of her head.

"Well, if you ever need a friend, I'm here. You're not alone."

"You also have me . . ." Owen said quietly.

Vivian whinnied and stumbled backwards.

"Shit! Did that rat just talk?"

"Jerboa," Owen muttered weakly.

Suddenly, Lowery burst out of the jungle, a small Petri dish in his hands.

"Alright, I've narrowed it down to six ants. They all keep waving at me, so-"

He noticed Claire and Owen.

"Oh . . . Hi, guys. Did Vivian tell you what happened?"

Claire nodded.

"She told us a little."

Lowery looked down at his shoes guiltily.

"I'm really sorry for screwing things up. I just wasn't clear on the magic genie rules."

Claire was too sad to question his peculiar comment. She wiped her eyes and stood up.

"Where are you guys headed?"

Vivian shrugged.

"Well, I'm a dinosaur now, so there aren't really a lot of options."

Lowery placed his Petri dish on the ground and walked over to her. Slowly, he rested his hand on her snout and looked her in the eye.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry. If we could trade places, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Vivian snorted.

"Well, you _did_ look better as a dinosaur."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"You too?"

Lowery nodded.

"I was an 'Ankylowerydocus' for a while. I guess we can _all_ claim that we belong to the hybrid club. Well, everyone except Owen . . ."

They turned to look at the forlorn jerboa, who had wandered away during their conversation. He sat on a small rock with his ears folded over his back. His lip was quivering, and he looked about ready to break. Claire knelt down beside him and put her hand on his back. He closed his eyes, squeezing out two fresh tears.

"She's gone . . ."

Claire gulped and stroked Owen slowly. He continued to stare at nothing.

"She was my only family, and now she's gone . . ."

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Owen, I'm your family too. We're in this together. I love you."

Owen looked up at her with despair. His eyes were red around the edges, and his fur was dark where the tears trickled down.

"I love you too, Claire. I love you more than anything. That's why I can't bear to watch you get hurt. If something happens to you, I don't know if I . . . I mean . . . I won't . . ."

He buried his face in his paws, sobbing heavily. Claire felt his shoulders shaking beneath her fingers. Finally, he gasped for air and gave a loud sniff.

"It doesn't matter what I do. Someone will always get hurt. There's nothing I can do to stop it. You'd all better leave. I'm of no use to you."

The group noticed one of the ants crawl out of the Petri dish. It made its way over to Owen, where it stood up on its back legs and made weird arm gestures.

"I'm guessing that's Masrani . . ." Claire muttered.

"Shhh. He's talking to me," Owen said, adjusting his massive ears so that they were pointing directly at the insect.

The bug waved his creepy little legs around dramatically, pacing back and forth. He was indeed speaking, though his voice was too high-pitched and quiet for Claire to hear. Owen, with ears twice as large as his body, seemed to be picking up the sound just fine. He listened intently, nodding in agreement every few seconds. When Masrani was done speaking, Owen let him crawl onto his paw and handed him to Vivian. The ant rested on her eyebrow, and Owen turned to Claire.

"There are war elephants on the loose."

Claire nodded slowly.

"Yeah . . . I guess so . . ."

"We can't let them hurt anyone else."

Claire bit her lip.

"What are we gonna do?"

Owen's whiskers twitched as he frowned in determination.

"We're gonna stop them."

"How?"

"By fighting them."

". . . _How_? . . ." Claire repeated.

Owen stood nobly on the root of a tree and shook his fist.

"We're going to work together and _take them down_!"

Vivian nickered sardonically.

"How are we gonna do _that_? Elephants are huge!"

Owen put his hands on his hips.

"You may feel tiny in front of an elephant, but I feel tiny in front of you. Mr. Masrani is even smaller. Doesn't mean we have any less control over our destiny. It's a big world out there, which means we're all very, very small."

Vivian snorted in agitation.

"But they're _elephants_!"

Owen frowned.

"And _you're_ a dinosaur! In fact, you're a hybrid, so you're twice the dinosaur anyone else is . . . except for Claire . . ."

For once, Claire didn't mind this kind of remark. She promptly began to change until she was one hundred percent stegoceratops. She lifted Owen up onto her horn and held her head high.

"I'm not going down without a fight," she declared valiantly, "You can stay here, if you want, but I'm not going to let my baby die in vain."

Vivian turned her head uncomfortably.

"But I can't fight. I'm a herbivore."

Owen gave a curt nod.

"Yes, but so are hippos. Hippos are the most dangerous animals alive. It's not what you are: it's what you do with what you got. Anyone can fight elephants, whether they're a dinosaur or a smartcar- Hi, Barry!"

Everyone turned to look at the car, who gave them a quick wave.

"Hey, guys. I saw what happened. You'll be glad to know that I found someone who can help."

"Oh, lord. Is he gonna try to convert us?" Lowery asked.

Barry turned to the bushes.

"Come on out!"

"Is it safe? . . ." a shy voice quavered from the trees.

"Yes!"

"How do you know?" the voice persisted, "You don't have to worry about fierce animals like _I_ do. You're just a smartcar."

"Oh, yeah?" Barry growled, "Well, this smart car is turning into a PUNCH-buggy!"

He zoomed into the trees and pushed a shivering elephant into the clearing.

"And that's just how I roll," he sassed cockily.

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Barry! You found the elephants!"

Barry moved back and forth in an attempt to shake his head.

"I only found one, and he didn't even participate in the war."

The elephant smiled sheepishly.

"I don't do so well around blood, and I have a peanut allergy, which is weird because-"

Claire darted forward and gave a loud snort. The elephant shrunk down with a quiet "eep".

"Tell us where the others are!" she hissed with venom. The elephant put his ears over his eyes and whimpered.

"I can't! They'll kill me!"

Owen hopped from Claire's face onto the elephant's trunk.

"What do they call you?"

"Humphrey," the elephant replied.

Owen smiled.

"Well, Humphrey, it's your lucky day. If you switch to our side, we promise we'll treat you right. No funny business like those war elephants. You're on the hybrid team now."

The elephant peeked out from under his ears and looked at the sincere, kind faces around him. Although the group consisted of an ant, a jerboa, two hybrid dinosaurs, a smartcar, and a very scruffy man, something about the ragtag team felt _right_. After a moment, he held his head high and puffed out his chest.

"They're on the other side of those mountains. Follow me."


	32. Weight Of The World

Ellie wandered through the streets of Vietnam for a few hours after Elkay left. She wasn't quite sure what to do while she waited for her grandmother to return, but she ended up _thinking_. Truth be told, she was a little worried that Elkay wasn't strong enough to fight by her side. The dragon had quite the flair for the dramatic, but even if she showed up when all hope was lost, adorned with golden armor, roaring victoriously, probably smashing through some sort of symbolic object, and wielding two ridiculous weapons of Japanese origin, Neithhotep would probably swat her like a fly. Ellie thought back to the way she had torn Zebil in half, and shuddered in fear. Zebil had been weak, but only by Asterparan standards. He probably could have been a fierce opponent of Elkay . . . In fact, he _had_ been a fierce opponent of Elkay more than once in the past three years alone. What chance did the yellow dragon have against someone who could utterly destroy her greatest contender? Mathematically, it made no sense.

It was then that another thought occurred to her. What if they were unable to stop Neithhotep? Ellie had been greatly exaggerating her ability to create plotholes when she spoke with Elkay about the matter, mostly because she wanted the dragon to cut her some slack. Truth be told, it was hard to find limits in a world that, by design, had none. The whole situation was a double-edged sword. Logic and far-fetched explanations could tilt the scales either way, and right now, the odds were not in Ellie's favor.

Ellie had purposefully avoided making the assumption that she was in complete control, but she never could have foreseen the veritable shitstorm that engulfed her story. Of course, things could always get worse. If they did, Ellie would have no choice but to initiate DEFCON 1.

Or, wait. Did one _initiate_ DEFCONs or _go into_ them? Maybe the correct verb was _to enter_ a DEFCON. That sounded about right.

Ellie sighed in defeat and used her remaining magic to transport herself to a land of stars and darkness. She felt the presence of three beings near her, and called them over to where she was floating.

"I need your help."

"Ellie, you're doing fine," a deep voice said gently, "You don't need us. Why have you called us here?"

Ellie looked away guiltily.

"I just need reassurance. I've made this space between your world and mine. I only have a few minutes before it fades away. Please, tell me what to do."

"Ellie, you already _know_ what you must do," one of the shadows said kindly, "All you need is a little faith in yourself."

Ellie shook her head.

"No, John, I can't unblock my power. What if I lose control?"

"You never _had_ control, my dear. The sooner you accept that, the happier you'll be."

Ellie sighed and turned to the other specters.

"And you? What do you have to say?"

A nonhuman shape stepped forward.

"I trust you, Ellie. You've never led the pack astray."

Ellie shook her head.

"I have. People have _died_ because of me."

"You're too hard on yourself, sweetie," another shape laughed, "Everyone who's ever died for you was glad to do it. You earned their loyalty. No one's death has ever been your fault."

Ellie frowned.

"That's an exaggeration, Dad, and I think we're all missing the point. What if I turn bad? It's happened before. Not just in my immediate bloodline, but . . . Well, you probably know what I did to Elkay."

The shadows all spoke at once.

"It wasn't your fault. You had no control over your actions."

"Plenty of people have hurt others by accident. You're not alone."

"You're just stressed out because you want to be a good queen."

Ellie plugged her ears and thrashed around in distress, turning herself upside-down in the void.

"Hurting others by accident is the same as hurting them on purpose!" she cried, "Feeling remorseful doesn't heal wounds!"

The nonhuman stepped forward and put her paw on Ellie's shoulder, pulling her right-side-up.

"No, it doesn't. But if there's anyone who can find a way to settle this peacefully, it's you."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"I guess I could try . . ."

Ellie felt the world fading away. The shadow-beings gave her deep bows before evaporating.

"Try, Ellie. Try. That's all we ever asked of you, and you amazed us every time. If you try, you will find that you had the ability to succeed all along."

And with that, Ellie found herself in the _Jurassic World_ once more. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I sure hope you're right . . ."


	33. SockFace

Claire and her companions peeked over a small rock formation to see about thirty war elephants sleeping peacefully on the side of the mountain, armor and all. Some of them had gold-plated dental caps, while others wore ornate saddles. Claire frowned in confusion. Although there were boxes on the elephant's backs that seemed to serve as people-carriers, there were no people for them to carry. She turned to Humphrey, who was trembling like a leaf.

"Where are the soldiers?"

"There are no soldiers. The spinosaurus June destroyed those who used to ride us."

Claire blinked.

"Spinosaurus? . . . Oh, god. Is she purple?"

Humphrey nodded. Claire's face hardened into a bitter scowl.

"That's the one that killed Flower."

With these words, Owen dug his claws into her frill.

"You guys can take the elephants, but leave June for us."

Vivian nickered in surprise.

"Wait, so we're actually _killing_ these elephants? Isn't that a bit _much_? I mean, they're an endangered species . . ."

Humphrey rubbed his chin with his trunk thoughtfully.

"Well, we elephants follow our leaders because of their strength. If you were to kill June, you could become the new leader and convince the troops to stop butchering innocent creatures."

Claire stared forward grimly.

"Then that's what we'll do."

Lowery stepped in front of her, holding his hands up defensively.

"Whoa, hey, slow down there. We're talking about _murder_ , Claire. I know you're upset about losing your child, but killing June won't bring her back."

Claire rumbled in fury.

"Flower was my everything. You don't understand, Lowery. I could have had a family. June stole my future."

"That doesn't make it right to steal hers."

Claire glared at him for a few seconds before turning away.

"Fine. You can go try whatever your stupid plan to convert them is, and the rest of us will carry out the _real_ plan."

Claire looked over her shoulder and saw Vivian rubbing her front foot shyly. When she noticed that Claire was staring at her, she whimpered and turned her head.

"I don't want to kill people, Claire."

With an agitated moo, Claire pawed at the ground.

"These aren't _people_ , Vivian! They're animals!"

"Yeah, well, so were your stegoceratopses. Since when did you care about assets, anyway?"

Claire growled in warning, but found that she had nothing to say. Try as she might, she couldn't quite put the reason for her change of heart into words. No matter what excuse she came up with, she found five more to contradict it. Her logic was absolutely flawed. Maybe she was trying to use her brain to analyze matters of the heart.

With a determined nod, Claire turned to her friends.

"Lowery, Vivian, Mr. Masrani; Owen and I are leaving."

Barry bounced on his wheels.

"I'm going with Owen. And I guess we're bringing Humphrey along."

Lowery nodded grimly.

"Alright, then. You guys have fun with your assassination attempt while Vivian and I take the peaceful route. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Claire sneered.

"Oh, that is _so_ cliché. And I _will_ find what I'm looking for, because I know what I want. I'm going to avenge Flower."

Lowery looked down.

"Is this really what she would have wanted?"

Claire snorted and pushed him to the side.

"Don't try to guilt me out of this. You don't know what it's like. Last time I checked, you didn't _have_ kids."

"Last time I checked, neither did you."

Vivian stepped between them.

"Guys, stop. I don't want this to get messy."

Claire and Lowery held each other's gaze for a few seconds before wheeling around in fury. After a moment, the two groups split up and took alternate routes to where the elephants were sleeping.

***TSJWFEW***

Lowery ducked behind a tree, then waved Vivian over. She pattered over on light feet and joined him, but the trunk wasn't wide enough to conceal her generous girth. Nevertheless, they continued to crawl forward on their bellies (though there was no reason to do so) and hid behind a bush. They peeked over the tangle of leaves and gasped.

"That's Hoskins!"

A strange hybrid dinosaur with a dome head and a long crest lay snoring in the grass. His mechanical cyborg-arms rested on his belly, and his toes twitched as he dreamed about something pleasant. Lowery gave a deep frown.

"I hope Claire knows what she's up against. Did you tell her what happened when he attacked the airship?"

Vivian shook her head.

"I didn't mention Hoskins at all."

Lowery's jaw dropped.

" _What_?! Why not?!"

Vivian shrugged.

"It never came up."

Lowery sputtered like a broken kettle.

"Vivian, this is _kind of_ important information. I thought you'd explained everything to them."

"Not everything."

"Yeah, well, couldn't you have managed to slip that in? You know, something like: 'We've been tailing these clowns for a few days, and by the way, Hoskins is alive and he has machine guns instead of hands!'."

Vivian placed her foot over Lowery's face to silence him.

"Shut up. You're going to get us caught."

Lowery frowned.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure we're doing better than Claire . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"Quit moving around so much! You're tickling my nostril!"

Claire snorted, sending Owen tumbling across the ground. He got up and shook himself off, splattering Barry's wheel with stegoceratops boogers.

"Well, I can't just stay out in the open! What if someone _sees_ me?"

"Just hide behind my frill. No one will notice."

Barry tapped her shoulder with his wheel.

"Claire, I was just talking to Humphrey, and he says he can find a way to sneak past the elephants without drawing suspicion."

"Great. Why do you look so uncomfortable?"

"I need you to provide a distraction."

***TSJWFEW***

Vivian hoisted Lowery into a tree with her face. Mr. Masrani crawled into her hair to avoid being squished as she pushed him higher and higher. She could hear her insect boss shouting words of encouragement, but he was too tiny for her to understand. When Lowery was properly adjusted, he scooted forward on the branch and shielded his eyes from the sun.

"What do you see?" Vivian asked, her legs still grasping the trunk.

"Hoskins is awake now. There's a weird purple boulder with a mast sticking out of it . . . Shit! It's a dinosaur! Man, it's _huge_. That can't be natural . . ."

Vivian snorted sharply.

"What else?"

"There's a bunch of elephants chatting by a fire. They're giving Hoskins nervous glances. They might be rebels. We should talk to them."

Vivian nodded.

"Good. What else?"

Lowery squinted in confusion.

"Uh . . . Claire is doing a sexydance for the elephants. She has a sock on her face for some reason."

Vivian rolled her eyes.

"I think you need new glasses."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire swung her hips back and forth in a slow hula. A group of elephants gathered around her, drooling like idiots.

"June never told us there were she-elephants here . . ." one of the pachyderms slobbered.

Claire smiled uncomfortably.

"Mhm. I'm an elephant. That's why I have a trunk."

She swung the sock back and forth in what she hoped was a seductive manner.

"And I have . . . um . . . ears . . ."

She lifted herself onto her hind legs and placed her hands behind her frill, still shaking her hips.

"And . . . I . . . um . . ."

Owen elbowed the back of her neck.

"Start twerking."

Claire gulped uneasily.

"Do you really think that will distract them more?"

"Oh, sure. But it's not just for the elephants' benefit . . ."

Claire had no way of looking at him, because he was sitting behind her head, but had she been able to, she would have given him a murderous glare.

***TSJWFEW***

"Wait . . . Wait . . . I see something else. There's a yellow dragon talking to a starfish. She looks angry . . . Now she looks worried . . . Now she looks relieved . . . Now she looks angry again . . . Now she's hugging the starfish . . . Now she's slapping it . . . Man, this dragon is moody."

Vivian tapped the trunk impatiently.

"What about the rebels? Any news on _them_?"

Lowery shook his head.

"Naw . . . But there's a giant dog guarding the starfish now. Man, this drama is _really_ interesting . . ."

Vivian rammed her head against the tree trunk. Lowery gasped and clung to the branch in fear.

"Lowery! The rebels!" she snapped.

He crossed his arms.

"We don't even know if they're _actually_ rebels, Viv. They could be talking about some _other_ secret thing behind Hoskins' back."

"Like what?"

"Sex? . . . Drugs? . . . Eskimos? . . . Bagpipes? . . ."

Vivian growled.

"Stop goofing around, Lowery. This is your chance to redeem yourself."

He snuffed.

"First of all, I'm not goofing _around_ , I'm goofing _off_ , and second, you can't keep blaming me for the genie thing. He was _very_ unclear-"

" _Unclear_ , Lowery? How much clearer can you get than 'The first dinosaur to ask a question will be changed back.'?"

Lowery frowned.

"That's not verbatim. I was thrown off by his rhyming. I thought genies were supposed to do celebrity impressions."

Vivian rolled her eyes.

"Lowery, you're such a tool."

His face fell.

"That hurts, Vivian. That really hurts."

Suddenly, a third voice chimed in from behind them.

"Does it hurt as much as getting shot in the knees?"

They turned to see Hoskins grinning at them, his machine gun hands poised for action.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire waited for Barry to give her the signal before darting away from the elephants. When he flashed his brights three times, she smiled and waved at the dopey pachyderms.

"Well, I suppose I'd better get going . . ."

One of the elephants held her back.

"Wait! Can't we get your number?"

Claire squeaked.

"Um . . . 123-3175 . . ."

"What if we wanna call long distance?" another elephant asked.

"Errr . . . Just ask the operator. Bye!"

Claire waddled away from the crowd as fast as her stubby legs could take her.

***TSJWFEW***

"Hoskins, don't do this," Lowery said in warning, "You can't just worship a giant, purple dinosaur and expect to end up in one piece by the end of the week. Didn't you ever wonder what happened to the kids on Barney?"

Hoskins gave a cruel laugh.

"As far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm at the top of the food chain, we're all good."

Vivian frowned.

"But you're made of two herbivorous dinosaurs . . ."

"Uh, hello? I have machine guns for hands. Ain't nobody messing with old Hoskins!"

Lowery shook his head.

"How do you expect to live your life without arms? How are you going to shave?"

Hoskins' hands rotated, and two knives appeared at the ends of his metal fixtures.

"I can use these."

Lowery blinked. A hint of a smile crossed his face.

"And how are you going to clean your weapons?"

Hoskins snorted.

"They detach. See?"

He dropped his mechanical arms, leaving only two metal-coated stubs on his shoulders. In the blink of an eye, Lowery sprinted forward and held him down. Hoskins barked angrily, but Vivian ran over to help.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked!" Lowery gasped.

Hoskins trumpeted in fury.

"Just wait 'til I call my attack wolves. They'll rip you apart!"

Lowery smirked.

"María took care of your slobbering puppies. They won't be coming to your aid anytime soon."

Hoskins snarled.

"I swear, you'll be joining her in hell. You should have died in that explosion, but instead, you had to make things so _complicated_ . . ."

Vivian pushed him deeper into the ground.

"How about I complicate your _face_ with my _fist_?"

Hoskins laughed.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Well, it looks like you won't get the chance. Wolves aren't my _only_ allies . . ."

At that very moment, Vivian felt a gob of warm saliva land on her shoulder.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire tiptoed behind Barry as he made a full circle of the camp. Owen peeked over her frill cautiously, ready to duck down at the first sign of trouble. As they climbed higher up the face of the mountain, Claire scanned the landscape for anything that looked like a purple dinosaur. No luck. Even so, the rage burned in her belly like a hot coal.

"Claire, maybe you should change back," Barry whispered. She shook her head.

"Can't. I need to fight this 'June', and the only way to do that is if I'm a stegoceratops. Besides, I can't climb barefoot."

Barry popped open his trunk to reveal Claire's shoes. She gave him a questioning look.

"I rescued these from the plains. I figured you must have lost them somehow, because I can't imagine why you'd- Look, just change back. I don't want to draw suspicion."

"You're a talking car, Barry."

He shrugged.

"Yes, well, I'm sure I can pretend to be inanimate. You, on the other hand, may need to blend in."

Owen slid down her face.

"He's right, you know. If we're gonna fight June, we'll need the element of surprise."

"Or the _elephant_ of surprise!" Humphrey chuckled behind them. They shot him an impatient look and turned back to each other.

"Claire, please," Owen whispered, "We need to ambush this dinosaur before attacking."

"Like we did with the Indominus?" Claire asked sassily. Owen folded his ears back and frowned.

"It's going to work this time. Trust me."

Barry nodded.

"Yeah, trust him. He's knows what he's doing. As long as we listen to Owen, nothing can possibly go wr-"

Owen used his hands and feet to close Barry's mouth-grill.

"Jesus, Barry! Are you trying to get us killed? You can't just say 'Nothing can possibly go wrong'. You'd be _begging_ for something bad to happen."

It was then that they noticed Vivian and Lowery running towards them. They were charging through the elephant camp, not caring who they woke up in the process. As they waved their arms in a hectic pattern, they shouted something that sounded like gibberish. Claire tilted her head to listen. At first, she thought they were making up words.

"They're saying Mozaradon. What's a Mozaradon?" Owen asked.

Claire shook her head.

"I don't know. It doesn't sound like English . . ."

And then everything became clear.

Mozaradon was a portmanteau consisting of three parts: Mo-Zara-Don.

As in, Mosasaurus-Zara-Pteranodon.

As in, the monster that was headed straight for them.


	34. Poison Of The Mind

As Ellie returned to the Jurassic World, she felt herself being drawn to Cambodia. Because she was currently in Vietnam, it wasn't that far (relatively speaking). Through some sort of teleportation magic, she was moved to a large mountain range, which was engulfed in thick clouds of mist. Ellie frowned and scanned her surroundings as she regained the ability to move of her own volition.

"Alright, Neithhotep. I know you brought me here. What do you want?"

The dragon's voice rang through her head musically.

'Has my daughter abandoned you again? It's just as well: you and I have business to attend to.'

Ellie growled.

"She didn't leave me, and what do you mean?"

Suddenly, she caught sight of several figures running through the jungle below. There was a car, an elephant, a man, two hybrid dinosaurs, and a very large monster that appeared to be under the control of Neithhotep. Ellie put the pieces together quickly.

"That's the animal you were riding when you confronted us. I'm guessing it's Zara, but how are you getting her to betray her coworkers like that?"

Neithhotep appeared in front of her.

"Oh, how soon you forget. The Post-Mortem Reaction not only brings dead people back to life, but it also instills a hyper-violent state of mind in-"

"I know. I'm wondering how you got it to last so long."

Neithhotep smiled.

"I've fabricated a poison that can enhance the effects of the PMR, even when it has worn off. For example . . ."

She pointed to Zara, who was beginning to slow down. With a flick of her tail, Neithhotep caused her pupils to grow until they covered the majority of her eyes. The monster resumed her pursuit, thirsting for blood once more.

"She's wearing a headband that pumps the fluid into her brain, but you can't see it under her hair. If you're wondering why I chose Zara specifically, it's because the pure of heart react more noticeably to the poison. Otherwise, I would have taken Henry Wu, who had an unfortunate accident on his way to Biosyn headquarters. Of course, you know nothing of this, so I wouldn't expect you to understand. Let's just say that one of his creations turned on him, and leave it at that."

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Is he dead?"

Neithhotep laughed.

"No, no . . . I expect we'll see more of him someday, but for now, let's focus on his counterpart. On that note, how much would you be willing to sacrifice for his daughter?"

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me your plan, and I'll decide."

Neithhotep took a deep breath.

"I was planning to remove The Star from your person and give it to Raven, but she proved to be . . . unprepared."

"So you're taking it yourself?" Ellie sneered.

"If I have to, yes. But to be honest, I think you'd make a fine Queen, as long as you stop listening to Elkay."

"Why?"

"Well, she had you kidnap my daughter, for one thing . . ."

Ellie didn't reply.

"Just give up now, Ellie," Neithhotep continued, "I have countless resources at my fingertips: June, the elephants, Hoskins, and dozens of Indominus Rex human-clones, which I have yet to release . . ."

"How did you get them?"

"Guess."

Ellie sighed.

"Please don't do this."

Neithhotep looked at her with an expression that showed a trace of sorrow.

"Ellie, I respect you. I wanted to hate you all these years, but you made it very hard. Part of the reason I was so bitter towards you was because I expected you to be a complete failure like my daughter. Imagine what it must have felt like to watch you succeed. I was desperate for a reason to hate you, because I refused to believe that anything good could come from Elkay, even indirectly."

"You called her Elkay."

"Yes, well, she's not around, so I have no reason to use her other name."

Ellie frowned.

"Why do you want her to suffer?"

Neithhotep laughed.

"I have my reasons, as you can imagine. By the way, I'm sorry about the stegoceratops massacre. It's nothing personal. Being blessed with the power of foresight, I can tell you that this story has a happy ending because of it. I know it's hard to understand, but I've been planning this for longer than you can imagine."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I would be surprised if you didn't."

Ellie was shocked to see the dragon turning away in the middle of their conversation. She made a quick maneuver to cut her off.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Ellie, but I can't focus my full attention on you right now. I have to make sure that my pet doesn't kill Claire or her friends."

Ellie's jaw dropped.

"But you-"

Neithhotep held up her clawed finger.

"Despite what you think, I'm not the villain in this scenario. I only had to play the part briefly in order to set these events in motion. Everything happens for a reason, Ellie. When this is all over, you'll be thanking me, if your pride doesn't get in the way."

Ellie was confused and angry and offended all at once. She didn't know how to respond, nor did she have to. She simply let Neithhotep glide away with a gentle smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.


	35. Mozaradon Blues

"Zara! Snap out of it!" Claire shrieked as her former assistant tried to nip at her heels. The creature barked and snarled, completely ignoring her request. Claire yelped and ducked out of the way as she tried to stab her with her half-beak.

"Zara, what's wrong with you?" Vivian wailed, "Are you mad because I didn't get you an engagement present?"

Claire's eyes went wide.

"Zara is _engaged_? How did you _know_ that?"

"How did you _not_ know that?" Owen retorted.

They all screamed as Zara made another lunge for them. She ended up inhaling a mouthful of dirt, which only made her angrier.

"Zara, please don't do this!" Lowery pleaded, "Be cool!"

"You can't just tell a monster to be cool, Lowery!" Claire snapped.

"She's not a monster, she's Zara, and something is making her very cranky!" Lowery growled.

"Just feed her a crumpet or something!"

"They don't _all_ eat crumpets, Claire!" Owen squeaked, cuffing her frill.

"RAAAAAAAAAH!"

They covered their ears as Zara gave a hideous roar.

"Zara, please don't eat us!" Vivian begged, "This isn't _you_. You're not a murderer!"

With a furious screech, Zara chomped down on Vivian. As she was scooped up, she tried to hold Zara's mouth open with her feet. Claire trumpeted in panic and rammed into the monster's stomach (taking care not to stab her with her horns). She coughed up Vivian, who landed on the forest floor with a loud _whump_. Lowery ran over to help, but Zara knocked him over with her tail. Barry flashed his brights in her eyes, blinding her temporarily. As she screeched and wailed, Owen crawled up her hanging hair, eventually reaching her snout-beak. She tossed her head, but he lifted her eyelid with one paw and stared at her intensely.

"Zara, listen to me. You are not a monster. You work at Jurassic World. You're engaged to a man named Steve. Your favorite band is Queen. You drink expensive coffee-"

"How do you _know_ all of this?" Claire asked from the ground.

"I talked to her once. I'm surprised she never mentioned any of this to you. She's quite talkative."

Claire sighed.

"Maybe I'm just a bad listener . . ."

Zara, meanwhile, had begun to stop thrashing around. Her eyes were no longer pure black, and her face was less tense. Gasping for air, she let Owen climb down from her face and spoke quickly.

"Not much time . . . Something wrong with my mind . . . Run while you still can . . ."

Suddenly, she grabbed her head, wincing in pain. As she squeezed her eyes shut, she sent two small tears sliding down her cheeks. Then, she gave a furious bark and snapped at them once more.

"You see what we can do with a little tweaking?"

The group turned to glare at Hoskins as he stepped out of the trees.

"I thought the raptors were powerful, but man alive, this is ten times as awesome."

Owen gave a high-pitched growl and balled his hands into fists.

"Let her go, Hoskins!"

He gave a guttural laugh.

"I'm not controlling her, buddy. If you have a problem with the Mozaradon, you'll have to discuss it with the dragon."

Owen blinked.

"I've had a lot of weird things happen to me this week, so I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not."

Zara gave another shriek and dove for Owen, who leapt to the side. Judging by the changing size of her pupils, she was doing her best to stop herself from harming anyone. It was a battle that she was about to lose.

"See, nature is all about control," Hoskins philosophized, "As long as you find a way to stay on top, nothing upsets the order of-"

Hoskins had (unwisely) walked directly in front of Zara. With a quick jerk of her head, she swallowed him whole. Owen watched his tail disappear into her mouth.

"Wow . . . He never learns, does he?"

While Zara's head was on ground level, Claire took the opportunity to figure out what was wrong with her. She ran over and yanked a large, black device from her tangled hair. Zara jolted, then became relatively still. Claire walked over to her trembling form cautiously.

"Zara? . . . Are you okay? . . ."

The hybrid reptile gave a quiet whimper and placed her leathery wings over her eyes. It took Claire a moment to process the fact that she was crying.

"Zara? What's wrong?"

She sniffled and peeked out from under her wings.

"I killed that poor dinosaur, didn't I?"

Owen grimaced.

"I wouldn't exactly call Hoskins a 'poor dinosaur' . . ."

Zara wailed.

"I'm a murderer . . . I'm a murderer . . ."

Claire looked at her sadly, then placed her front foot on her shoulder.

"Zara, it's okay. He was a very bad man."

Zara shook her head.

"It doesn't matter how bad he was! I- I- I- WAAAAAAAAAH!"

By this point, the tears were practically shooting out of her eyes. Vivian flinched as one landed on her snout.

"I'm a monster!" Zara choked.

"Oh, Zara. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry . . ." Claire muttered.

They all watched awkwardly as Zara continued to bawl her eyes out. After a few seconds, however, her sobbing turned into choking. She hawked and retched and coughed up a very sticky Hoskins. Claire thought (and hoped) that he was dead, but his toes twitched lightly, and he looked around with glazed eyes.

"Whajushappen?" he driveled.

Zara wiped her nose and looked down at him.

"I'm sorry . . ." she squeaked.

Hoskins' eyes went wide.

"She's awake! June! June!"

Before he could get away, Claire bopped him on the head with the side of her horn. Lowery darted forward and pulled a rope out of his jacket. He tied Hoskins' arms and legs together like a calf, then stood up and brushed himself off casually. When he noticed the peculiar look Claire was shooting him, he shrugged lightly.

"One of my heroes allegedly carries a rope around with him everywhere. According to him, if he ever encounters a dinosaur-"

Claire held up her front foot.

"Lowery, sometimes it's best not to know."

***TSJWFEW***

The group left Hoskins behind and found cover in a nearby cave. They didn't want to wander back into the camp, especially since Zara was technically and escapee. She refused to even look back at her former prison, and would tear up at the very mention of elephants. Of course, Humphrey was oblivious to her sensitivities (as he had hidden himself behind a bush when she first appeared), so he brought up her situation countless times. Zara didn't appear to remember much of what happened when she was under the control of the mysterious yellow dragon, but what she _did_ recall was enough to make her break down in tears. The group agreed to let her calm down before enquiring further, and Claire even held her wing-hand in a comforting manner.

As night fell, the group huddled around a small campfire (courtesy of Owen) and brought each other up to speed on . . . well, _everything_. Of course, since their group consisted of eight very unique individuals, there was a lot to tell.

"I wasn't changed with the soul-pot or the wand," Vivian explained, "The blonde woman, Spurr, made her daughter inject me with this weird syrupy stuff. It hurt like hell. When I woke up, I didn't remember who I was. It was like being in a dream. Then I saw a Smurf keychain on the purple-haired girl's backpack, and it reminded me of Brad. All of a sudden, I remembered why I wanted to be human."

Zara nodded slowly, trying her best to hold back the tears.

"It was similar for me. Only . . . Only, I died . . ."

She buried her face in her wings, and Vivian leaned against her sympathetically. Owen lifted his ear from the ground and cleared his throat.

"Mr. Masrani says that he doesn't know how his consciousness came to be trapped inside the magic soul-pot, but when he was a helicopter, smashing into the anthill at a great speed somehow transferred his essence into a bug. I guess we already knew that . . ."

Barry sighed and rocked back and forth on his wheels.

"The purple-haired girl ambushed me. She chanted some sort of incantation, and I felt my soul being sucked into the pot. Then she dropped it on the car. You can probably figure out the rest."

The group nodded solemnly. Humphrey, who was sucking on his trunk, turned to Claire with puzzlement.

"And how did _you_ change?"

Claire frowned in confusion.

"I . . . I don't know."

Vivian raised her eyebrow.

"Claire, how can you _not_ know? If I was in your place, I'd circle the calendar or something . . ."

Claire gave a halfhearted shrug.

"Sorry. I just don't remember. Everything is so unclear . . ."

She winced as she experienced a quick flash of memory. She shook her head and tried to put it into words.

"I . . . I was in a room with a cat . . . No, a _tiger_ . . ."

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

"And . . . And he gave me powers . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"You will be able to change into dinosaurs whenever you are electrocuted. Once you transform, you won't be able to change back for three hours. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, sure. Hey, Claire! Have you seen me? I'm all white and spiky!"

"That's nice . . ."

"What about you? What do _you_ look like?"

"I . . . I don't want you to see me."

"Why not? Are you a small dinosaur?"

"No . . . Maybe . . . Look, just close your eyes. This isn't proper."

"Oh, lighten up, Claire! We're _both_ naked."

"Shut up. I hate you."

"Come on, Claire. Don't be a chicken. Show me what you look like."

". . . Okay, but don't laugh."

. . .

"Oh my god . . ."

"Stop it! It's not funny!"

"Haha! Claire, I had no idea that you were a _herbivore_! How do you expect to fight the hostiles as a _cow_?"

"I'm not a cow!"

"Sure, sure. But look, it's really not that bad."

". . . Really? . . ."

"Yeah. We can't _all_ be awesome dinosaurs like me."

"Shut up. I just want to get this over with."

"Good. Let's get _moo_ -ving!"

"SHUT UP, YOU SON OF A-"

***TSJWFEW***

Claire shook her head.

"It's really fuzzy."

The group seemed keen to pry further, but a rhythmic sliding sound caught their attention. They turned to see a purple starfish moving slowly towards them. In one of her arms was a magic wand, and a new soul-pot rested on her back.

"Look out!" Barry shrieked, "She has magical devices!"

Before they could get up and run, the starfish flicked her arm, sending a beam of sparkles towards Owen. He spun around and shimmered until he was human again. After patting himself down quickly, he grinned and looked at his hands.

"Yes!"

Claire ran over and hugged him.

"You're back!"

"I never left . . ." he muttered.

The starfish crawled over to Vivian, handing her the wand. She made vague gestures that approximated something similar to what she had done to change Owen. Vivian shrugged and tapped the starfish with the wand. When she was changed, everyone gasped.

"Purple-haired girl!"

The teen frowned and crossed her arms.

"My name is Raven."

Barry revved up his engine angrily.

"She's a witch! Get her!"

Before he could do any serious harm, Raven picked up her bowl, bonked him on the head, and shook a fine powder out of the base of the receptacle. A ghostly twister appeared over the lid and flew through the mouth of the cave.

"What did you do to him?" Owen snarled.

"Nothing! I sent him back to his old body," Raven hissed, "You guys are _so_ ungrateful!"

Owen frowned.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"I want to stick it to the Man," the girl replied.

As the group fell silent, they heard a tiny voice. Raven noticed Mr. Masrani, the ant, jumping up and down on Vivian's nose.

"I'm sorry, I can't change you back," Raven explained apologetically, "You don't have a body to return to."

Zara scooted towards her, using her wings to push herself forward like a seal.

"But you can change _me_ , right? . . ." she asked hopefully.

Zara knew the answer when Raven looked away uncomfortably. She sniffled, then burst into tears.

"Oh god! Why is this _happening_ to me?"

Vivian gave a sad hum.

"I guess that means I'm stuck too."

Raven nodded.

"Unless you want to steal the magic flower inside of Claire's stomach, you're gonna have to deal with it."

Zara wailed and moved deeper into the cave.

"I need . . . a minute . . . to be alone!" she gasped between sobs.

Claire watched her assistant inch away, her heart heavy with guilt. Now that she had witnessed how Zara reacted to her permanent transformation, being a dinosaur half of the time seemed merciful. At least Claire didn't have to live her entire life as . . . whatever Zara was considered.

"I think I've come to terms with this," Vivian announced, "I guess I always knew I'd be stuck this way forever. It might not be so bad. My grandpa owns a few acres of land in Minnesota, and I'm pretty sure he has horses. He'll hook me up."

Lowery looked at her sadly.

"You shouldn't have to live with horses, Viv."

She shook her head.

"I know, but that's just the way things have to be."

Claire exhaled and looked down at her feet guiltily.

"If there really _is_ a magic flower inside of me, there could be more of them growing somewhere else."

Vivian lifted her head hopefully.

"We can go on a quest to find them!"

Claire nodded.

"Maybe. Before that, I have to take care of June."

Vivian's face fell.

"You're still going to-"

"Yes," Claire affirmed with a curt nod, "The stegoceratopses were right about the Lilylotusdrop, which means that the rest of the prophecy is true."

Owen gave a puzzled frown.

"What do you mean?"

Claire lifted her head boldly.

"June won't be able to defeat me."

"Why not?"

"I can't be killed by any creature woman-born."


	36. Colin All Dragons

Elkay pattered down the street, her golden armor clanking noisily with each step. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, because she was busy reading Ellie's manuscript. She held the scroll in both hands, making facial expressions to coincide with her emotions, as is a common, if embarrassing, habit that most people tend to demonstrate while reading.

As she trotted down the road, she heard footsteps approaching her from around a corner a few feet ahead. Thinking she could avoid the random civilian by outrunning him or her, she walked a little faster. Unfortunately, this was not a very bright move, because she only ended up tripping over him (and it was, in fact, a man). She groaned and plucked herself off of the ground.

"Sorry. I thought I could get past you without being noticed. I have to erase your memory now."

As she turned to face the man, however, her eyes went wide.

"Whoa . . . You look a lot like Colin Trevorrow."

"I _am_ Colin Trevorrow."

Elkay's jaw dropped.

"Wow! . . . Wait, you aren't just one of my children pretending to be a famous director in order to teach me a lesson, are you?"

Trevorrow narrowed his eyes.

"No. Does this . . . happen often?"

"You'd be surprised."

Elkay turned to leave, but wheeled around at the last second.

"I forgot to erase your memory."

"Oh, there's no need for that. I won't tell anybody."

Elkay hummed uneasily.

"Are you _sure_? . . ."

Trevorrow nodded.

"If I were to tell people that I met a dragon, they'd probably think I was crazy."

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"Fair enough . . . Alright, I think I can let this slide. Bye!"

She galloped away with a spring in her step, opening a portal to the Jurassic World. As she jumped through, Trevorrow called out to her.

"Ti a boo, Elkay!"

"Ti a boo!" she replied.

She closed the portal behind her. After three steps, she froze.

"Wait a minute . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie flew after a retreating Neithhotep, struggling to keep up as the dragon beat her wings forcefully. She dove through a fluffy cloud and blinked away the moisture, sputtering slightly.

"Neithhotep! Wait! What did you mean about the stegoceratopses dying for a 'happy ending'? Were you telling the truth about having the power of foresight?"

The dragon turned her head, but continued to fly away.

"It's true. The ability skips a generation, I'm afraid, so you won't benefit much from it. Your children won't either, because they aren't dragons."

Ellie shook her head.

"I don't care about that. I just want you to explain yourself."

Neithhotep adjusted herself so that she was flying on her back.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I never explain anything."

"Isn't that from Mary Poppins?"

"Nope. It's not verbatim."

Ellie was surprised to see the dragon smiling pleasantly at her. She might have even been letting her catch up. Unfortunately, Ellie would never know if that was true, because Elkay slammed into her side and tumbled through the air, snapping like an angry turtle.

"Ellie, I'm back! I couldn't find anything cool to smash through in midair!"

Ellie shot forward and tore the two dragons apart. Elkay was absolutely shocked.

"Ellie! I had her!"

"I know. That's why you need to stop. Don't you see how ridiculous this is? You're fighting with your own mother!"

Elkay frowned.

"You fight with your mother all the time . . ."

"Yes, but I don't try to _kill_ her! . . ."

Elkay pouted.

"So, we're just gonna let her go?"

Neithhotep snarled.

"Oh, you pathetic mess of a dragon! Don't you get it? I'm not trying to harm you!"

Elkay's lip trembled.

"Well, you're doing a very good job!"

Without another word, she flew away, sobbing loudly. Ellie watched her leave with a concerned expression.

"She's always been that way," Neithhotep sighed, "I had her diagnosed for bipolar disorder, but it turns out she's just hormonal all the time . . ."

Ellie bit her lip.

"Are you going to interfere with our story again?"

Neithhotep shook her head.

"No. It'll work itself out from this point on. I don't have to intervene anymore. But if you need help with Elkay . . ."

Ellie shook her head sadly.

"I lose my friends over the most idiotic misunderstandings. If she doesn't come back, I'm on my own."

Neithhotep moved closer as Ellie sighed with regret.

"I should have saved Robin's stupid cat."

Neithhotep cocked her head.

"Don't blame yourself. You're entering a shame-spiral. It wasn't your fault that Robin rejected you, and it certainly wasn't your fault that Elkay left."

Ellie scowled sardonically.

"That's funny, because I appear to be making pleasant conversation with her mortal enemy right now."

Neithhotep shook her head.

"You're being very unwise, Ellie, but I'm willing to give you one more chance. Meet me down by the elephants tomorrow morning, and for the love of god, don't end the chapter with my departure. You do that too often."

Ellie frowned bitterly as Neithhotep flew away. She waited fifteen minutes before writing the next sentence.

Then she ended the chapter.


	37. Mist Opportunity

Claire awoke in the early morning. She could see the last few stars peeking over the mountains, twinkling through the clouds like silver fireflies. As she shifted around to wake herself up, she became aware of a gentle pressure on her waist. Owen had both arms wrapped around her. A part of her didn't want to leave his warmth behind, but she had more important things to attend to.

"Owen," she whispered, "You're gonna have to let me go."

He groaned.

"Stay . . ."

She shook her head.

"I can't. I have to find June."

Owen kissed the back of her neck.

"But we're both normal now. We don't need anything else."

Claire frowned.

"What about Flower?"

Owen fell silent. Taking the opportunity to wiggle out of his grasp, Claire grabbed her tank top and slid over to the corner of the cave. When she was dressed, Owen stood up and laced his fingers through hers.

"Claire . . . Flower is gone. I hate June for what she did, but killing her won't solve anything."

Claire's face hardened.

"If we allow her to live, she'll kill again."

"You don't know that."

"I do."

Claire tugged her hand away from his and walked down a narrow tunnel. When she came out the other side, she found herself in the main cavern, where the others were sleeping. She tiptoed past them, not wanting to wake them up. Owen followed. When they were outside of the cave, he caught her arm and turned her around.

"Claire, please don't do this. I know this is hard for you, but we can get through it together."

Claire shook her head slowly.

"Owen, I can't let this go. Try to understand."

"I _do_ understand, but we can't go on like this."

Claire stared down at the jungle below. Everything was covered in a light blanket of fog, and she could feel the moisture cooling her skin with each passing moment. When she caught sight of a small fire in the elephants' camp, she closed her eyes and placed her forehead against Owen's chest.

"I can't let them hurt another soul."

"If you let them get to you, you already have."

Claire looked into his eyes.

"Owen, you're not changing my mind."

Seeing that she was serious, Owen nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. We'll go down together. Before we do, I have to get something from Barry's old trunk."

"My shoes?"

"I'll get those too."

Owen jogged into the cave. Claire sat down on a half-interred rock and placed her foot on her knee while she waited for him to return. When she examined the sole of her foot, she realized just how much she had been through. Not only was she filthy, but she was cut and bruised, and yes, even slightly blistered from wearing heels as long as she did. Even so, she felt no pain. She didn't even feel numb. She felt like nothing. It was like she wasn't even there. She may as well not exist.

Owen returned with her shoes in his hand. Claire quickly concealed the wounds on her feet and stood up.

"Thank you."

"I still wish you wouldn't do this."

Claire said nothing. Instead, she marched down the mountainside and made her way towards the camp. Owen followed, but said nothing.

***TSJWFEW***

Zara yawned and stretched out her wings. She had had an inordinate amount of trouble falling asleep, as she wasn't used to her new body. She hadn't told Claire about any of her problems, because she probably had issues of her own. Of course, Claire didn't have to drag her belly across the ground, so it was doubtful that she'd be as damaged as Zara was.

Rolling onto her side, Zara craned her neck to look at her stomach. Dozens of red scratches lined her tummy, and some of them were caked with dirt. The worst injury had a stick protruding out of it. Zara winced as she touched it with her talons. It was like the world's worst splinter.

"Need help?"

Vivian rolled over and stood up, shaking the dirt from her side.

"My mother was a nurse, so I might be able to fix it."

She approached Zara's stomach and examined the injury. She wrapped her toes around the stick and looked into her eyes.

"I'm going to pull it out on three. One . . . _Two_!"

Vivian yanked it out. Zara whimpered, but quickly composed herself.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for trying to eat you yesterday."

Vivian smiled.

"It's not your fault. You weren't yourself."

Zara looked down in shame.

"I'm worried that I did bad things when I was under their control. I remember being very violent with people. I hope no one died."

Vivian didn't know what to say. She leaned against Zara in comfort.

It wasn't long before Lowery woke up. He had been sleeping in the crook of Humphrey's trunk, and Mr. Masrani was supposedly resting on the rim of his glasses. He forgot this fact when he reached up to rub his eyes, and was met with a slew of barely-audible yelling. When the men were awake, they moved to the mouth of the cave, presumably worried that Zara and Vivian were talking about "woman issues" or some such. They peeked into the mist-covered valley and took a collective breath. After a few seconds, Lowery caught sight of something troublesome.

"Oh my god . . ."

There was an imposing figure moving through the mist, and it was headed straight for them. As it slithered through the fog, Lowery wrung his hands.

"Um, guys. I know spinosaurs are supposed to be big, but that looks a little . . . _too_ big."

The animal was deep purple with emerald-green eyes. She had a tall, concavely curved sail and menacing claws. She walked on all fours, swiveling her head from side to side like a snake. Lowery stepped back, his breath caught in his throat, and pushed the others deeper into the cave.

"Go. Hide in the other room. She won't fit there."

Zara whimpered.

"Neither will I."

Vivian placed her front foot on Zara's wing.

"I'm not going to leave you."

Humphrey squeezed between them.

"Maybe you can't leave _me_ either? . . ."

Lowery and Mr. Masrani moved into the smaller cave where Owen and Claire had spent the night. Zara wrapped her wings around her friends protectively.

It wasn't long before they heard the sound of the monster nearby. She grunted and hissed like a crocodile. All three of the cave's occupants shrunk back in fear as the silhouette of her head became visible through the mist. To their horror, she slowly stretched her neck through the mouth of the cave.

Zara, Vivian, and Humphrey all believed that it was the end, but instead of going after them, June prodded at Barry's old car-body. She bashed her head against the side until it tipped over. Gasoline began to pour from the wreckage, and she snorted in disgust as she caught its scent. With a shrill roar, she slid out of the cave and disappeared into the mist, leaving the three potential snacks shivering in terror.

"Why didn't she attack us?" Vivian whispered.

"Maybe she didn't see us," Humphrey muttered.

"No, no . . . She would have to be blind," Zara reasoned.

"That makes sense!" Humphrey laughed, "No wonder she only noticed me when I was talking! Gosh, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble."

Zara and Vivian gave him an incredulous look, then snapped back to attention.

"We have to find Claire and Owen," Zara asserted, "That _thing_ could very well eat the both of them, even if she's blind."

Vivian held her back.

"Oh, no you don't! You're injured. Stay here. _I'll_ get them."

Humphrey held Vivian back.

"You can't go either!"

Vivian blinked.

"Why not?"

"Zara's gonna try to leave, and I don't have the courage to stop her."

Vivian cocked her head and frowned.

"Fine. Go find them, Humphrey."

He trumpeted in panic.

"Are you _crazy_?! I can't go out there with June running about!"

Vivian snorted.

"Well _someone_ has to go, otherwise Claire and Owen are-"

"On a sticky wicket?" Zara suggested.

"Sure, if you want to be British about it," Vivian sassed.

Humphrey peeked out of the cave timidly.

"Guys . . . If we go into the mist, we may never come back."

Zara slid over to the entrance.

"If we stay here, Claire and Owen won't come back for sure."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire stumbled over a tree root, scraping her leg on a leafless bush. Owen ran to help her up, but she pushed him away.

"Stop it. I don't need your help."

Owen frowned at her sternly.

"Claire, this has to stop. You can barely walk, let alone-"

He grunted as a high-heeled shoe hit his head. Claire pushed the other shoe against his chest impatiently.

"Carry them. I'm going barefoot. I have to change, anyway."

Owen watched her limp away with an expression of concern. Not wanting to spark another argument, he placed his arm around her hip gently and tried to filter the harshness from his voice.

"Claire, I know you want to get revenge, but this is not the way to do it. If you really want to stop June, we'll call the police-"

"And tell them we need help fighting a dinosaur? Good luck with that."

She yanked herself out of his grasp and marched away stubbornly. Owen clenched his teeth and pursued her.

"Claire! Claire, wait!"

"I'm not listening."

"I know! But you should!"

"Why?"

"I love you."

"I know, but that doesn't change anything."

"You can't do this."

She froze. Owen slowed to a stop as she turned around deliberately, giving him a menacing stare.

"What did you say to me?"

Owen reached for her hand.

"Claire, that's not what I meant. You can't do this because you're not a murderer. You're kind and gentle and-"

"I can be fierce when I want to be!"

"I know, I know. I've seen you when you're fierce, but . . . this isn't you. You're not a murderer, Claire. You're not."

As she looked into his eyes, Owen tried his very hardest to channel all of his sincerity into their shared gaze. He reached up and put his hand on her cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. Claire leaned into him ever so slightly before completely tearing herself away.

"Go back to the cave. You're of no use to me anyway."

Owen felt tears stinging at his eyes as she disappeared into the mist. He stared at the place where she had been standing for a long time before turning to leave. As he made his way back to the cave, he looked down at her high heels. Her feet had been bleeding, but he already knew that she was willing to lie about anything to get her way.

Especially the part about loving him.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire climbed over a fallen branch, tearing her sleeve away as it snagged on the uneven bark. She lifted her foot quickly as she stepped down, for she had cut her heel on a twig. Of course, it was just another injury for the collection.

Claire had a sneaking suspicion that the blankness of the mist was causing her mind to wander, because she kept picturing the hurt look on Owen's face. It was the same look he'd given her at Alfonzo's. He knew that she was never coming back, and he was very upset by it. Only . . . she _was_ coming back. Claire made a U-turn and started jogging towards the place where she had last seen Owen. She decided afterwards that she was subconsciously trying to get a better sense of her surroundings, because that explanation made perfect sense.

She saw him through the mist, dragging his heels dismally. Claire felt her stomach twist when she realized that she had caused his misery. Quickly, she dashed through the trees in order to meet up with him.

'RRR-RRR-RRR . . .'

Claire froze when she heard a menacing sound coming from behind her. She turned and saw a massive spinosaurus nearby, at least four times the size she was expecting. The creature had unfocused eyes, and seemed to be relying on smell to guide her to her prey. It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was tracking. Slowly, Claire backed away to find Owen.

When she once again spotted him through the mist, Claire dashed forward as fast as her battered legs could take her. She leapt upon Owen as he turned, kissing him full on the mouth. He seemed shocked by the gesture, and promptly fell over. Claire didn't let go.

"Mph!"

"I'm sorry, Owen! I didn't mean it! I'm so lucky to have you!"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away.

"Ick! Claire, I know. I'm glad you're safe. Come with me. We'll grab the others and go."

Claire looked at him sadly. Before he could question her odd reaction, she pressed her lips against his, making a point not to forget her last moment of happiness. When they parted, Owen gave a half smile.

"I'm glad to see you too, but we should really get going."

Claire slid off of Owen and let him stand up. She stood up too, fully aware that the sound of the spinosaurus' hissing was growing ever closer. Owen's back was turned to her. She sprouted horns.

"You know, things are gonna be different when we get back."

Claire continued to change.

"Mhm."

"We're gonna have to decide what to tell the press."

Claire landed quietly on all fours.

"Yeah."

"As long as we back each other up, I'm sure they'll believe our story."

She was almost done.

"Sure."

"I suppose we could always show them Vivian or Zara. Then they'd _have to_ believe us."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Owen, I'm sorry."

He began to turn around.

"Claire, you already-"

She cracked her horn over his head, knocking him unconscious. She caught him as he fell, then leaned him against a tree trunk, touching his cheek gently.

"Goodbye, Owen."

Before she could doubt her decision, Claire galloped into the mist, clapping her plates together noisily to draw June away from her friends.


	38. Musical Intervention

Ellie glided down to the elephant camp when the sun peeked over the mountain range. She felt the cold, humid air ruffling her feathers, but she was too tired to care. Her night had been sleepless, and she almost felt as though she could fall asleep in midair. Luckily, she didn't, because at that very moment, a net shot up from the canopy and wrapped around her wings.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

She tumbled to the ground, landing painfully in the muck. When she looked up, she saw Neithhotep staring down at her coldly.

"I'll keep this brief. I'm still on your side, but I can't have you interfering with the story. I've worked too hard, setting these events in motion."

Ellie struggled against the net, but it seemed to be absorbing her power. Neithhotep patted her head gently.

"Don't worry. I brought someone to keep you company."

The hellhound, Bernie, stepped out of the trees and sat down next to her. Ellie changed into a raptor and snapped at him angrily, but he didn't pay an ounce of attention to her. Neithhotep spread her wings and began to rise.

"Goodbye, Ellie. I have to attend to a separate story now. Once I get back, we can have a little talk."

Ellie screamed in fury as she changed back into a human, kicking her legs like a dying quail.

"Don't leave me! Come back!"

Neithhotep ignored her, flapping her wings until she was but a speck in the sky. Ellie thrashed around and turned to Bernie, who was sitting attentively on the forest floor. She reached through the net and tried to pet his leg.

"Hey, doggie, you wanna let me out?"

Bernie frowned.

"No. I'm giving up a lot to be here, I'll have you know. I had an audition for Macbeth today."

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Let me out and I'll use my magic to get you there on time."

Bernie growled quietly.

"Deals are for the Devil."

"Or maybe I'm just an innocent woman who needs to get out of here ASAP."

Bernie snorted.

"Maybe so. I don't doubt that Neith is up to something, but I love her too much to question the morality of her actions."

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"You're in love with her? Does this mean you're going to be my new great-grandfather?"

"Hardly. She doesn't love me back."

Ellie nodded in understanding.

"Oh . . . You're like her Zebil, aren't you?"

"I don't know what that means."

"You let her push you around, and get nothing in return."

"Sounds about right."

Ellie frowned.

"You're . . . _okay_ with this?"

Bernie nodded.

"It's hard to be bitter when I owe her so much. Then again, it's very possible that you'd call me 'bitter', because you use that word too often."

Ellie crossed her arms.

"You'd be surprised how much magic it takes to search a thesaurus."

Bernie scoffed and lifted his chin.

"You have too much pride, Ellie Sattler. If I were to let you go, you'd try to meddle, because that is what you do. You think you can help people, but you don't realize that they sometimes need to help themselves."

"I can't abandon my friends."

"You abandoned Robin."

Ellie went rigid.

"I . . . She doesn't want me around. She told me to go away."

"You got her a dog to apologize. I know, because I have a dog-sense."

"Liar."

"Her name is Pretzel. She misses Elkay."

"I think we all do when she leaves, even if we don't want to."

They sat quietly for a moment. Ellie wrapped her wings over her shoulders and sighed.

"Please let me go."

Bernie shook his head slowly.

"I can't risk losing Neith's trust. Can you try to understand?"

"I _do_ understand. I saw Zebil go through the same thing you are. He beat himself up over the most insignificant things, and suffered as a result. He hated displeasing her. Whenever he dared to defy her, he felt really shitty about himself for no good reason. You shouldn't have to be the kind of person who can only be happy when their partner is. You're your own man . . . dog . . ."

Bernie shook his head.

"I'm not going to betray Neith. Dogs are loyal. That's why we're superior to humans."

"Who hurt you, Bernie?"

The dog rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shut up. I'm not letting you go, and there's nothing you can do to make me."

A familiar voice rang out from the top of the hill behind them.

"No, but there's something _I_ can do."

Ellie rolled around in her net and gasped.

"Robin!"

The yellow allosaurus stood proudly with about a dozen Nublar residents behind her. She had apparently come across some of the Jurassic World characters too, including Zara and Vivian. Ellie was ecstatic to see her friend again, but she was a little curious about the microphone she was carrying.

"Alright, you big mutt!" Robin growled, "How would you like to be defeated through the power of Rock 'N Roll?"

***TSJWFEW***

One copyright-protected song later, Bernie ran away in fear, being accustomed to classical pieces and similar genres. When the hound was out of sight, Robin ran over to Ellie and chomped down on the net, tearing it in half.

"Robin, you-"

The allosaur held up a claw to silence her.

"Ellie, I know there's a lot of emotional stuff we need to work out, but I'd like to keep it simple. I'm your friend, and I'll always be your friend. That's all you need to know."

Ellie bit her lip and gave her friend a big hug. When they parted, Robin took a deep breath.

"By the way, I rescued a bunch of people who were hiding out in a cave. That sharky-bird girl who sang the solo seems cool. I invited her to stay with us on the island, so we'll see how that goes. Your grandma is back on Nublar, too. She's the one who convinced me to save your ass. She apologized for trying to fill the void by acting ditzier than usual, even though she wasn't explicitly trying to replace me. I guess when you get down to brass tacks, there's only one Robin Smith."

Ellie smiled.

"There certainly is."

They hugged again, but Ellie felt a twinge of concern. Bernie had fled the scene after their rock number. He was clearly a fast runner. Ellie had no doubt that he was on his way to warn Neithhotep about the uprising.

"Robin, something's going to go down soon."

"Fun."

"No, something violent."

"Even more fun."

Ellie put her hands on her hips.

"This is serious. We're in real danger. Go back to Isla Nublar, and bring everyone with you."

"Even the people from the cave?"

Ellie rubbed her chin.

"No . . . But have one of us stay behind to protect them."

"Henry?"

"No, they'd recognize him. Try Seriama."

"She didn't come. She's watching Harry."

"Yannick?"

"With the kids."

"Sarah? Ian?"

"On vacation in Maine."

Ellie tapped her fingers against her leg.

"Hmm . . . What about Alan?"

"He's with Charlie."

"Is there _anyone_ free to watch over them?"

Robin shrugged.

"Couldn't _you_ do it?"

Ellie felt torn about the issue. To guard the characters would be simple enough, but it would mean abandoning Claire and Owen, who were essentially the core of her story. Would it be wise to believe Neithhotep's claim that no further intervention was needed?

"Ellie? . . ." Robin muttered nervously.

She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present.

"I'll stay. Thank you for coming back, Robin."

The allosaurus gave a sparkling, toothy grin.

"That's what friends are for."

Ellie smiled and made her way over to Zara and the crew, secretly praying that nothing else would go wrong.


	39. Cliffhanger

Claire clapped her plates together periodically as she ran, summoning the blind spinosaurus like a living decoy. There was no turning back now, especially if her friends were to escape unscathed. She would have to lure the dinosaur away from them for as long as humanly possible, even if the endeavor ended with her untimely death. Given her current situation, it was more than likely that she wouldn't live to see another day. But her friends were safe. That was all that mattered.

The monstrous creature snapped at the air, hissing menacingly as she followed her prey through the forest.

"I know you're there. I can smell your fear," she said smoothly.

Claire continued to run, stumbling briefly on a loose monkeypod root. She shook her head and kept going, ignoring her scraped knee.

"You can't run forever. I'll catch you, and I'll kill your friends too."

Claire's heart gave a small jump. Did the dinosaur know about Owen and the others?

"Where are you hiding, little hybrid? How did you escape my elephants?"

Ah. She thought that Claire was a regular stegoceratops. That made sense. Maybe she assumed that there were more survivors nearby.

"Why won't you say something?" June continued, "The others spoke to me before they died. You aren't worried about getting caught, because you're making a lot of noise. Why, then, won't you say something?"

Claire snorted and slammed her feet into the dirt.

"You're nothing but a heartless murderer."

June smiled maliciously. She was about five bus-lengths away from Claire.

"You're the queen, aren't you? Where were you when I slaughtered your people?"

Claire lowed in fury, digging her toes into the ground.

"How _dare_ you . . ."

"Would you like to know what their final moments were like?" June hissed, "I can't tell you how many of them called out your name. Especially the girl. She screamed 'Claire', even as I tore into her side. I made sure that the wound would be fatal. Did you get the chance to see her before she died?"

Claire wheeled around and charged at the spinosaurus, roaring like an animal. When she was only a few meters away, the dinosaur reached out and struck her hard. Claire mooed in terror as her assailant pinned her to the ground with both paws. June dipped her head down and smirked.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, Claire. You have a magical flower inside of you that can heal any fatal wound. Do you know what I would give to have it? If I were dying, it would not only heal my wounds, but also cure my blindness. I'd be able to see. Imagine what I could do if I had the power of vision. It would be _glorious_!"

Claire made an effort to wiggle out of her grasp, but the spinosaurus simply put more weight into her. She opened her beak in a silent scream.

"I can't give you a mortal injury, Claire, because the flower would sense it and heal you. Then the plant would disappear forever, and you'd be of no use to me."

"How do you plan to get it, then?" Claire wheezed.

"Simple," June sneered deviously, "I'll let you die of something that the flower is unable to heal. Starvation, drowning, exhaustion . . . I have a wide range of deaths to choose from. As long as it doesn't sense that you're dying from an injury, the flower will be preserved, and I will be able to harvest it from your body."

She held up her claw and adopted a businesslike tone.

"Or, you could save me the trouble and give me the flower. If you do, I'll allow you to live the rest of your days as a stegoceratops to reward you for your sacrifice."

Claire felt a deep rumble escape her throat as she scowled.

"I'd rather die," she whispered.

June chuckled cruelly.

"Have it your way."

She lifted her paws, and Claire dashed away. She ran and ran and ran, but the spinosaur remained in hot pursuit. As she began to pant, she realized what June was trying to do. She was chasing her down in the hopes that she'd collapse of exhaustion and die. Well, it seemed to be working. Claire felt ready to drop.

"You may think you're a queen, but you're going to die like an animal!"

Claire tossed her head and mooed.

"No, no, no!"

June swiped at her tail.

"Yes!"

Claire sprinted forward, noticing a slight incline in the terrain. That was the last thing she needed. She climbed up the steepening hill, grunting with exhaustion. Soon, she was at the base of a rocky mountain, which led up to a storm-shrouded peak. She looked up at the dark vortex with fear in her eyes.

"Can you climb, Queen Claire? I think you'd better try."

With a deep growl, Claire began to hop from rock to rock. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest like a basketball-sized sledgehammer. She wanted to believe that she could make it to the top, but the sensible part of her brain knew that it was impossible. Still, she continued to climb the mountain, aching feet and all.

"Run, run, little Claire! I'm coming for you!"

Claire approached a rather large gap in the rocks. There was a slim chance that she'd make it if she jumped. Scrunching up her face in determination, she charged forward, but her doubt got the better of her. She screeched to a halt near the edge and trumpeted loudly. Her moo of panic echoed down the chasm as she slipped on the crumbling precipice.

"Can stegoceratopses jump, Claire? Why don't you try a leap of faith and see how far _that_ gets you!"

Claire turned around slowly as June caught up to her. She lowered her head, displaying her front horn menacingly, and pawed at the ground.

"Oh, so you're going to try to fight me again? Don't you remember what happened _last_ time?"

Claire snorted and made a lunge for her. June batted her away with ease.

"That won't work, Claire. You can't fight me. I'm too strong."

Claire whimpered as June closed in. She backed up and felt the ledge crumbling beneath her feet. She didn't know how June was planning to kill her without a fatal injury, but she wasn't keen to find out.

All of a sudden, June stopped growling. She snorted, then tossed her head in distress. Claire saw a butterfly flapping against her unseeing eye. Using the distraction to her advantage, Claire charged forward and leapt across the gap. By the time she was halfway across, she knew that she wasn't going to make it. As she fell, however, her plates began to buzz, and she was able to fly the rest of the way. She landed hard on the other side of the chasm, grunting in pain. Her plates stopped flittering. Slowly, she placed her front feet on the ground and pushed herself up. She was definitely too tired to try a stunt like that again.

June swatted the butterfly away and ran her hands along the ground to find out where Claire had moved to.

"Coward! Where are you hiding?"

Claire smiled sassily, still panting.

"The funny thing about being an animal is that you sometimes forget that you can fly."

June roared.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!"

Claire grinned.

"Maybe not, but when has life _ever_ made sense?"

With an aggravated hiss, June charged forward, leaping across the gap with ease. Claire spun around and started running again, feeling her energy seeping away with each bound.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen moaned as he awoke with a pounding headache. Red and white sparks popped against his eyelids. He felt like he was on a Tilt-A-Whirl. Slowly, he reached up and ran his fingers over the sore spot on his forehead. It was an elevated wound, and there was a drop of blood in the center. He winced and stood up unsteadily, stumbling like a drunkard.

"Claire? . . ." he croaked.

She was gone. She was _gone_! She had _left_ him!

Owen frowned and started jogging though the trees, ignoring his severe headache. He scanned the forest floor for some sort of trail, and found one not too far from where he had been lying. The large footprints in the ground clearly belonged to Claire, but Owen didn't recognize the massive tracks that seemed to be following hers.

Owen began to run faster, praying that Claire was alright. He wasn't sure what kind of an animal could possibly be as large as her attacker, so he deduced that it was June. But why had Claire knocked him out? She wasn't _fighting_ the spinosaurus: she was _fleeing_. Owen's heart did a flip when he realized that she was leading the monster away from her friends . . .

Without warning, Owen bumped into a woman who had stepped out from behind a leafy bush. He noticed two interesting things. One, she was dragging an unconscious Hoskins across the ground. Two, she had wings.

" _You_ . . ."

The woman dropped Hoskins' tail and held up her hands defensively.

"Look, before you say anything, I'm really sorry about the pointless shit I put you through. I tried to tell your story _my_ way, but the dragon, Neithhotep, interfered with my plans. If she's to be believed, everything will turn out fine-"

Owen stepped forward in an intimidating stance. The woman backed up.

"Who _are_ you?" Owen asked through clenched teeth, "What do you want from us?"

The woman took a deep breath.

"My name is Ellie Sattler. We've met before, but you don't remember. Through a series of complicated and silly events, I became Queen of the Universe. I wanted to give Claire an arc that echoed mine, so that she could become a better person. I felt badly about your situation. You were never meant to be involved in my struggles. It was Zebil who first dragged you into the story, not me. On behalf of him, I apologize. I know what it's like to feel like a pawn in someone else's game. If I had known that things would turn out this way, I swear I wouldn't have tried to help you. I guess Neithhotep was kind of right; some people just need to help themselves . . ."

Owen reached forward and grabbed her by the front of her shirt. She frowned and pressed her hand against his shoulder, shocking him with electricity.

"Don't manhandle me."

Owen let his hands drop, but didn't stop frowning.

"Tell me where Claire is."

Ellie reached into her back pocket and pulled out a paper scroll. She used both hand to open it, then ran her index finger across the page, searching the text with a furrowed brow.

"Last time I checked, she was running away from June. It doesn't really matter, though, because as long as I stay out of your affairs, nothing bad will happen to her."

Owen frowned in puzzlement.

"Stay out of my affairs?" he echoed bitterly, "Aren't you meddling at this very second by talking to me?"

After a beat, Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Oh, no . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire dangled from the edge of a tall cliff, praying for a miracle. The drop would surely kill her, and she was certain that the magic of the flower would not set in fast enough to heal a broken neck. The rock was up to her armpits now, and it wouldn't be long before she was forced to let go. As she began to slip, she called out in desperation, hoping that someone, _anyone_ , would come to her rescue.

But there was no one to help her up.


	40. Soulmates And Spirits

Ellie watched a string of words appear on the scroll with her heart pounding wildly. She was petrified with fear. She was so frightened, in fact, that she could hardly even process the meaning of the text.

 _Claire tried desperately to hold onto the ledge, but she was too heavy._

Owen read the words over her shoulder with wide eyes.

"No! No, you can't let this happen! _Do_ something!"

Ellie handed him the scroll and dashed away.

"I'm going to try and save her!"

She unfolded her wings and shot up into the sky. Owen turned back to the scroll and saw a new sentence being written.

 _Her fingers began to slip._

Owen started shaking.

"No . . . No . . . Please, hold on, Clairebear . . ."

 _As she was torn away from the cliff, she found herself thinking about Owen._

"Claire? . . ."

 _She hoped he was safe._

"Claire . . ."

 _It was true what they said about life flashing before a person's eyes when they were about to die. Claire's fear-poisoned mind did, in fact, come up with a few images as she fell, but they were not from the past. Instead, she imagined the future she'd never have: the one she wanted to share with Owen. She knew in her silly little brain that her silly little fantasy could never come true: they had only spent a few silly little days together as a couple, after all . . . but maybe that was all it took. Maybe she really did love him in her own silly little way, even though her silly little pride prevented her from saying it too sincerely. She had spent so long trying not to look like an idiot, but now, she felt very stupid for never telling him the complete and honest truth. At this very moment, she was about to die, and he'd never know how she really felt about him. But how could a person claim that they'd met their soulmate without sounding silly? Claire didn't believe it was possible. Even if it wasn't, she would have given anything to tell him. Maybe she wanted to be silly for once. At least she'd be telling the truth._

 _Claire had time to think all of this, and more, as she fell. She was promptly snapped out of her reverie when she slammed against one side of the cliff, then the other. She tumbled down the canyon until she hit the ground, rolling for a bit before coming to a sudden halt._

 _As she lay there, her breath shallower than it had ever been, she managed to finally say what she felt in her heart, without a trace of irony. She gathered up all of her courage, and admitted what she had been holding back for the past few days._

 _"I love you, Owen. I love you more than anything in the world."_

Owen stared at the page with misty eyes, his heart caught in his throat.

"I love you too, Claire . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie arrived at the cliff too late. She was horrified to see Claire lying on her side, her mouth hanging open limply. She was still breathing, but barely. Ellie glided down and landed beside her.

"Claire?"

Her eyes flitted over to Ellie, but otherwise, she was absolutely still.

"Claire, I'm sorry for not getting here in time . . ."

Ellie knelt beside her, feeling for injuries. A few of her ribs were definitely broken, and her left leg was twisted in an unnatural position. Ellie took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Listen, Claire, I'm going to fix you up. Just stay still, okay?"

She placed her hands on her side, which began to glow with a gentle light. Claire winced as her ribs cracked into place. After a fit of panicked breathing, she closed her mouth and choked a little.

"Are you feeling better, Claire?"

The stegoceratops closed her eyes, squeezing out a single tear.

"I failed."

Ellie shook her head.

"No, no. Not at all. You did exceptionally well."

"June is going to kill again."

Ellie bit her lip.

"Look, you don't have to worry about June. I'll take care of her. Just go back to Owen and-"

"And tell him what? That I tried to lure June away, only to be rescued by a magical wing-lady? I'm starting to think that I can't do anything on my own . . ."

Ellie smiled sadly.

"Claire, you did more than enough to earn the respect of your peers. I just helped you along the way . . ."

"Like when you gave me that magic necklace?"

Ellie laughed quietly.

"Claire . . . Can I tell you a secret? That necklace was just a placebo. You had the power to change back whenever you wanted to. You just thought you couldn't, because you saw yourself as a nervous wreck."

Claire's lip quivered.

"But I _am_ a nervous wreck . . ."

Ellie rubbed her chin. Then, she smiled and snapped her fingers.

"You know what? I'm going to get someone who can help."

She walked away and crouched behind a boulder. A few seconds later, a pteranodon with feathery wings emerged from behind the rock.

"Hello, Claire. I'm your spirit pteranodon."

Claire frowned sardonically.

"I'm sure you are."

The pteranodon smiled and lay on its belly, resting its beak on its wings.

"Claire, you need to believe in yourself."

"Cliché."

"It may be trite, but it's true. You're capable of so much more than you let yourself believe. Who was it who flew to Cambodia?"

"Me."

"And who was it who-"

"I'm going to try again."

The pteranodon blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"I'm going to find a way to stop June. I owe it to my friends. Thank you for healing me, wing-lady, but I think I can take it from here."

Ellie smiled warmly.

"Alright. I'll let you get to it."

She watched as Claire charged up the mountain, ready to face June once more. Behind her, a yellow dragon made herself visible.

"That was beautiful, Ellie."

She changed back into a human and smiled.

"Thank you, but we aren't done yet."

Elkay grinned.

"What are you planning, Ellie Sattler?"

"I'm going to change your mother's mind."


	41. Puppy Love

Claire charged up the mountain, feeling her feet and heart pounding with pain and exhilaration (respectively). Her motion could be summed up using words such as "juggernaut", "momentum", and other expressions that might double as sports cereals. She ran straight through a patch of bushes and shrubs, tearing through them like they were made of paper mâché. Nothing could possibly stop her rampaging. She was a not-so-lean, green, June-fighting machine. She tossed her head and gave a valiant cry.

"Moo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!"

She looked over her shoulder as she heard another set of footsteps stomping across the moist leaves. She saw Owen struggling to catch up to her, and slowed down.

"Owen? What are you doing here?"

"I came to avenge you, but it turns out you're alive. Can I just say that I'm so, so happy about that?"

"Mhm."

He tried to give her a hug as they ran, but instead, she leaned into him until he was draped over her back. Then, she ran at full speed up the mountain, grunting in concentration.

"What are you doing, Clairebear?" Owen asked as he made himself comfortable behind her frill.

"I'm going to stop June."

Owen nodded.

"Count me in. I just have one question. How are we supposed to defeat a giant semi-demonic spinosaur sadist?"

Claire shrugged.

"We'll just have to find a way."

And with that, she uttered a loud, trumpeting bellow and began to fly.

***TSJWFEW***

June tried to climb down the mountainside in the hopes of finding Claire's body, but somehow, she ended up at the peak. Her disorientation seemed to be caused by some sort of magic, and she wondered if Neithhotep had decided to betray her. If that was the case, the dragon would have to be eliminated as soon as possible. It would be hard to take down a magical being, but if June could find a way to attack her while her back was turned, it shouldn't be a problem.

As she felt around for a safe place to climb down, June found herself worrying about Claire's fall. She didn't know if the flower would remain intact after the event, given the nature of its powers. If the hybrid hadn't died immediately, the Lilylotusdrop might be able to heal her wounds, and June's quest would be for naught.

Her theoretical situation was proven true when she heard an insect-like buzzing coming from above her head. She snarled and snapped at the sky, furious that she had once again been denied the right to a normal life.

"Fool! Have you come to challenge me? I won't hold back, now that the Lilylotusdrop is gone!"

June stumbled as the buzzing shifted to the other side of her head, making her dizzy and disoriented. It took her a moment to steady herself.

"The plant is still inside of me, June!" the stegoceratops called boldly as she hovered in midair, "I was healed by my guardian angel."

June growled and dug her claws into the cold stone beneath her feet.

"Then why have you come back?"

"I won't let you hurt another soul," Claire replied icily, landing nearby. June sniggered at the comment and shook her head.

"What makes you so sure that you can stop me?"

"Because I am invincible!" she declared fearlessly, "I can't be killed by any creature woman-born! It says so in the stegoceratops' prophecy."

June chuckled. Her laughter soon evolved into a devious cackle, and she could sense a feeling of unease in her opponent.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

June heard a set of paws approaching her from the side. She recognized the distinct stride of Bernie, the foolish dog who worked for Neithhotep. The hound gave a barking guffaw as he stood beside June, knowing very well what she had been laughing about a few moments prior.

"June was, from her mother's womb, untimely ripped!" he explained dramatically, "She is not woman-born."

Without warning, the stegoceratops' partner, Owen, sprung forward and landed on Bernie's nose.

"TURN, HELLHOUND, TURN!" he shouted fiercely.

The four of them erupted into a vicious battle, snapping and clawing at each other in pure, unholstered rage. Owen was so sprightly that June often found herself tearing into Bernie unintentionally, aiming for the place where the man had been standing a millisecond before. This pattern continued for a long time, with Claire giving the occasional jab as she fluttered around their heads like a dive-bombing moth with horns.

After a minute or so, June grew frustrated with their evasive maneuvers. Giving a shrill scream, she made one last lunge for Owen, but he grabbed her sail and slid down her back in one daring swoop. She slammed into Bernie's side, knocking him down like a giant domino. The dog was suddenly torn away from the battle, and it took June a few seconds to realize that she had pushed him over the side of a cliff. She heard his howling grow faint as he tumbled down the slope. Then, there was a sickening snap, a pathetic whimper, and absolute silence. June leaned over the ledge and listened, but the dog didn't make a sound. Undaunted, she snorted and turned to face her opponents.

"I can fight you alone."

"But why bother?" Claire stressed, "What could you possibly gain by killing me?"

"I want that flower!" June growled through clenched teeth.

There was a pause. June decided that Claire must be demonstrating some sort of visual cue, like a facial expression or a noiseless gesture.

"June, having the flower won't make you any happier."

"Of course it will! I'll be able to see . . ." she hissed.

Another pause, shorter this time.

"No, June. If you knew anything about the world, you'd understand that that's the last thing you want. If you ever get your vision back, the first thing you'll see is a crowd of angry faces. You've hurt people, June. But you can stop. You're only as good as you allow yourself to be."

June snarled.

"Being good gets you nowhere. Those who are kind to others end up at the bottom of the food chain."

There was a lengthy pause. June clenched her teeth. She was growing impatient.

"You can choose to be alone at the top, but I think you'd rather be with your friends at the bottom."

June chuckled malevolently.

"Poor, naïve Claire. What does it matter how many friends a person has? Without power, you are nothing."

She heard Owen step forward.

"June, you tried to take everything away from us, because you wanted more for yourself. But you won't gain anything by robbing others of their happiness. If you choose to _give_ instead of _take_ , people will make sure that you get what you deserve."

June frowned bitterly.

. . .

June frowned spitefully.

"Enough! I grow tired of your useless advice. Are you ready to end this, once and for all?"

Owen shifted slightly, giving away his exact position.

"June, you can't-"

In the blink of an eye, she reached out and struck him hard. She heard him tumble down the mountainside, probably out of sight. Claire ran over to the ledge and called out to him in panic.

"Owen!"

He coughed as a shower of dust poured over his head.

"Claire . . . I'm alive, but my leg is broken. I don't think I can move."

She gave a little choke.

"Owen . . ."

"Run, Claire. Don't let her catch you."

June heard Claire's feet shifting on the stone. She cut in front of her before she could run away.

"You're not going anywhere, _your highness_ . . ."

Claire pawed at the ground.

"I didn't plan to."

There was a clap of thunder.

That's when the real fight began.

***TSJWFEW***

Neithhotep glided over the mountains, searching for the location of the final fight. She has leveled out the top of a mountain for the express purpose of a one-on-one duel between Claire and June. By her calculations, it should be taking place in . . . about fifteen minutes.

She swerved to the side as a bolt of lightning cut through the sky. She turned her head in puzzlement, wondering why the storm had been set off early. She had specifically stated in her rough draft that the first bolt of lightning would strike at the very beginning of the final fight. It was her signature, after all. What had caused it to be activated so early?

And then, everything became clear. The lightning had been set off early because the final fight was already taking place. Claire and June were preparing to charge at each other, but it was too damn soon. Someone must have meddled with the story, but who would be stupid enough to-

Ellie.

She had escaped, hadn't she?

Neithhotep shook uncontrollably as she spun in a sharp nosedive. She spread her wings abruptly, slowing herself down for a rushed landing. When her feet made contact with the ground, she immediately changed into her human form. She was so furious that she expected steam to come shooting out of her ears at any moment. She clenched her fists until they were white and stormed up the mountain.

"Damned idiot, I'll kill her if I ever see her again!"

She stomped briskly up the spiral pathway, still fuming.

"Who does she think she is? I've been writing for years! Bloody novice . . ."

She whipped around a corner.

"All she does is mimic that moronic dragon. I swear to god, she-"

As she rounded the next corner, she came face to face with a disturbing sight. Bernie was lying on the ground with his legs hanging limply over a pile of rocks. His mouth was open, and one of his ears was folded above his head. Neithhotep walked forward slowly, her hand over her mouth.

"Bernie? . . ."

She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. His bristly, brown fur carried no warmth. He was dead.

Neithhotep gulped and wiped her eyes.

"I guess this makes us even, then," she whispered as she made her way up the path.


	42. We Don't Negotiate With Dragons

Ellie flew across the sky with about fifty Asterparan dragons trailing behind her. She was fully prepared to speak with Neithhotep in a civilized manner, but she found that people listened better when there was an army of dragons supporting the argument in question. Speaking of which, Elkay had once again donned her armor, and was at the helm of the triangular formation. She flapped a little harder to fly beside Ellie, then smiled when she was in full view.

"So . . . how's my mom holding out?"

Ellie twisted her mouth.

"Not sure. She turned off her semi-narration when she found out that Bernie was dead, and that could mean a lot of things."

Elkay gave a slow nod.

"Oh, so _that's_ why the last chapter was so short. Do you think she's crying?"

"No."

Elkay did a barrel roll over Ellie.

"God, I hope she's crying."

Ellie bit her lip.

"Elkay . . ."

The dragon smiled whimsically.

"I'll bet she's bawling her eyes out."

Ellie frowned.

"Elkay, stop . . ."

"She's probably sitting all alone, in solitary confinement, completely broken-"

Ellie put her hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"Elkay, I love you, but for Christ's sake, stop being such a bitch."

Elkay pouted, letting her ears go limp.

"I'm sorry. I just hate her so much . . ."

Ellie nodded.

"I know, but try to be patient and put the past behind you. We might have to tolerate her presence for a very long time."

Elkay winced.

"What makes you say _that_?"

Ellie shrugged.

"We seem to be doing a good job of reforming former villains on our little island. I'm definitely noticing a pattern with Henry, Zeb- Well, with Henry . . . and you . . . hopefully June . . ."

Elkay sighed.

"Ellie, I'm sorry for being so . . . _me_. I've screwed up a lot of things in the past because of my . . . _me_ -ness. So, I guess I'm apologizing for that. Yeah . . . and I'm also sorry for the bad things I'll do in the future. I just never learn my lesson."

"Sometimes you do."

"How do you know?"

Ellie crossed her arms.

"There was a point in time, not too long ago in fact, when you wanted to murder me. I don't think that's ever going to happen again."

Elkay laughed nervously.

"Yeah . . . Crazy times! Sorry about that."

"You've apologized profusely upon several occasions. I trust you now. Most of the time, anyway."

Elkay hummed.

"Well, I trust you to keep my mother under control. You did well with your own bitchy mother, after all . . ."

They fell silent, but after a moment, Elkay's ears twitched lightly.

"Ellie, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you hate Halloween before Robin convinced you it was fun?"

Ellie exhaled tensely.

"My mom never let me eat candy. She said I'd rot my teeth."

Elkay folded her ears back in distress.

"That's so sad . . . Do you want me to buy you a big bag of candy to compensate?"

Ellie shook her head.

"You tend to do impulsive things to please me. I appreciate the effort, but I don't need any more gifts."

"Definitely don't check your bedroom closet, then."

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"What's inside?"

"Not a sugar glider, if _that's_ what you think . . ."

Ellie slapped her forehead.

"I'm not even gonna ask. Listen, we're approaching the place where your mother is hiding out, and I'd appreciate it if you could stay behind while I try to reason with her."

"Understood. Does she know you're coming?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, Elkay. I wouldn't doubt it."

They flew towards the same cavern where Claire had been hiding out with her crew. There was an arrow etched in the rock, pointing to the mouth of the cave. Elkay looked at it and scoffed.

"Wow. Subtle. I wonder where she wants us to go."

Ellie gave her a pointed look and flew down. Elkay diminished her altitude ever so slightly, prepared to defend her granddaughter if necessary. She was alarmed to see that Ellie had absolutely no problem with simply strutting into the deep, dark cave (unarmed and all alone [to face a fierce dragon, etc]). It could very well be a trap. Neithhotep was more than capable of setting up steel jaws or rolling boulders or sharks with laser beams tied to their heads. Be that as it may, nothing seemed to be going wrong, and Elkay respected Ellie enough to let her handle the situation on her own.

For now.


	43. Climax

Claire and June stood on opposite ends of the peak, glaring at each other hatefully. They were poised, tense, and ready for battle. The storm swirled around them like a whirlpool in the sky, cracking with flashes of lightning every few seconds. Claire stretched out her stubby toes as far as they could go, feeling the grainy texture of the rock as she curled them back into her feet with a deep scratching sound.

"This ends here."

The spinosaurus flicked her tail sharply.

"So it does."

Claire lowered her head, displaying her glimmering horns, although there was no chance that her performance would intimidate the blind dinosaur. She slid her tail-spikes across the ground, hoping that it would be enough to get the message across.

"You took everything from me: my friends, my family, my child . . . I'm not going to let you take another life."

June chuckled.

"Oh, you stupid, stupid animal. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you _can't_ defeat me? What if I'm too strong? I'm five times your size, after all. You're nothing but a cow awaiting slaughter."

Claire snorted.

"I'm not a cow. My name is Claire Dearing, and I'm a stegoceratops."

June sneered spitefully.

"Are you ready to die, Claire Dearing?"

Claire stamped her left foot twice, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"I'm ready to avenge my baby."

"Very well. Enjoy your final moments while they last."

Claire trumpeted and reared up on her hind legs in order to slam her front feet against the rock. The impact made the slate shatter, sending deep cracks snaking out in jagged patterns. June hissed in reply, scratching the stone until she made sparks with her claws. When another bolt of lightning snapped across the sky, both dinosaurs charged.

Claire hardly even felt herself moving. It seemed as though the world was turning in slow motion around her, like temporal molasses. Even the flitting of a hummingbird's wing could take an eternity. Her feet slammed against the ground noiselessly in this decelerated world. The only sound came from her heart, which pumped blood at a steady, unfaltering rate.

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

She closed her eyes. The sight of the raging spinosaurus was replaced with absolute darkness.

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

She was at peace. There was nothing to disturb her in this world of nothingness.

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

She could allow herself to dream. No one was here to judge.

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

 _What's the outside like? Are there more butterflies?_

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

 _I want to see the world, someday. Can you take me?_

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

"I would have taken you, Flower. We would have seen the world together."

Pup-pup. Pup-pup. Pup-pup.

 _I love you, Claire!_

She lifted her head and opened her eyes as she charged forward at full force.

"THIS IS FOR FLOWER!"

She leapt up at the spinosaurus, who had her mouth open in a vicious roar. There was a moment of silence, then a heavy, abrupt impact that seemed to shatter time itself.

 _SHORK_.

Silence.

Emptiness.

Claire felt nothing. Her first thought was that she must be dead, but slowly, her senses began to fade into existence. The very first thing she noticed was the warm liquid trickling down her frill. It didn't take her long to figure out that it was blood.

. . . But it wasn't hers.

As she became aware of her situation, Claire realized that she was, in fact, standing inside of June's jaws, with one of her horns poking through the roof of her mouth. She tugged herself away from the monster and stumbled onto the cold, hard rock. June, having been petrified with shock, began to scream in agony, spewing blood all over the ground as she shrieked. Claire had said the magic word, of course, so she began to change as she limped away. When she was able to stand upright, she turned to look at her defeated opponent. To her surprise, the animal lying on the ground was no longer titanic.

June was about the size of a german shepherd, and she was, in fact, a young child. She had somehow shrunk down to her weakened form, probably due to the fact that she was dying. The dinosaur lay on her side, slightly curled, with blood pouring out of her mouth. She was choking a little, but mostly, she was crying. Her tears cut through the blood on her cheeks, making thin, purple lines.

Claire began to turn away, but something stopped her. The way June was sniffling reminded her of Flower. It was a crazy comparison to make, but the more Claire thought about it, maybe they weren't so different after all. Both Flower and June had been mistreated in their short time on Earth, but while one chose to take it on the chin, the other was forced to express herself violently. When all was said and done, both children were just lonely little dinosaurs that couldn't find a place in the world, as big and diverse as it was. Would anyone ever show the lost children even a scrap of kindness?

Claire walked over to June slowly. The child must have heard the sound of her bare feet, because she shrunk away from her fearfully. Claire kneeled down beside her and ran her hand along her side. June whimpered in terror and shut her eyes tight. She thought that Claire was planning to finish the job.

Part of Claire's job as Park Manager was making tough decisions. The pressure of her word being law was always present, but for the most part, her choices never affected her personally. Now, however, she was faced with a decision that would ultimately result in a single, cruel end: no matter what she chose, she'd lose her humanity.

Claire lifted her hand from the shivering child and closed her eyes. She ran her palm over her own stomach and felt something slip out from beneath her skin, as if by magic. Shortly after, she felt herself changing into a stegoceratops for the very last time. When she was sure that she had made up her mind, she pressed the Lilylotusdrop against June's wounds. As soon as it touched her, the blood that stained the stone around her body disappeared, and the hole in her snout sealed up like sewn fabric. When her deepest injuries were healed, her eyes began to glow. Her clouded, green pupils turned pitch black, and she stared at the world in amazement. Her gaze fell upon Claire, and she inched backwards, wondering what her next move would be.

There was a moment of silence.

Then, Claire closed her eyes and turned away.

"I guess this makes us even, then."


	44. The Beauty Under Neith

Ellie eased deeper into the cave, secretly nervous that Neithhotep was planning to attack her while she was defenseless. She knew that Elkay was waiting for her outside, but her eagerness to take on her own mother was definitely not going to work to Ellie's advantage. One little slip-up, and Neithhotep would be facing the rage of a mentally unstable dragon. Of course, she could probably defeat Elkay in a nanosecond, but still . . .

"Neith? . . . Neith? You there?" Ellie called, pausing to let her echoes subside. She froze as she heard something shifting in the darkness. It sounded like a tail being dragged across stone. Ellie jumped in surprise when a beam of light appeared to her left. A human Neithhotep held a flashlight under her face spookily and smiled.

"Boo."

Ellie took a deep breath and folded her wings behind her back.

"Neithhotep, I'm not here to-"

"I know what you're here for, and I accept. By The Star, someone needs to supervise you so you won't get into any more trouble."

Ellie frowned.

"Neithhotep, I wouldn't have _had_ any trouble if you had just stayed out of my business."

She shrugged.

"Well, you know how it goes: you start off with a plan, then something goes wrong . . . Bam. Chaos. It's the way of the Jurassic World."

Ellie gave a reluctant smile.

"I know. Thank you for helping June."

Neithhotep cocked her head.

"Oh, I didn't really help her. She helped herself. More accurately, you helped Claire help herself, and she helped June help _herself_. It's quite simple, really. Not sure why you didn't think of it sooner."

Ellie nodded.

"Does this mean you're coming back to Isla Nublar with Elkay and me?"

Neithhotep snorted.

"Oh, absolutely."

Ellie smiled warmly.

"Great. Let's tell Elkay."

They strolled through the mouth of the cave, where Elkay was waiting. She pricked her ears, then flattened them behind her head, bracing herself for the worst possible outcome.

"Are we okay?" she asked with a cautious monotony.

Ellie nodded.

"We're okay."

Elkay reared up on her hind legs and gave a whooping call, disbanding the army of dragons. They broke formation and flew into a glowing portal, which closed gently behind them when the last soldier was through. Ellie smiled and turned to her great-grandmother.

"Well, I guess that's settled, then. What should we call you?"

"Neithhotep."

"Can't we call you 'Neith'?" Ellie asked jokingly.

Her mouth twitched.

"We'll see."

Elkay hopped up and down excitedly.

"Ooh! Ooh! Why don't we do the phonetic initials thing again? Let's see . . . Lord Neithhotep makes LN which makes Ellen . . . Okay, let's _not_ do that. It might get confusing."

Neithhotep crossed her arms.

" _You_ , my dear, will be calling me 'Mother'."

Elkay folded her ears back.

"Right."

Neithhotep gave a quick nod.

"Right, indeed."

She turned to Ellie.

"I imagine you'll be wanting to explain everything to Claire and her friends- Oh, the secondary Jurassic World characters are being guarded by Robin, by the way."

Ellie nodded.

"Good. Go on."

"While you work out all of their problems- and they certainly have a lot of problems to work out- I'll carry June back to the Isla Nublar of Jurassic Park. That statement seemed backwards, but you understand. Anyway, I recommend that you speak with Claire directly. Given her . . . um . . . permanent state, she'll be requiring certain accommodations from this point on. Before I grab our saurian friend from the mountaintop, I would like to blatantly hint that Barnaby's ranch is abandoned, at present, and I can most certainly stegoceratops-proof the house, if necessary."

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"You had this figured out the whole time, didn't you?"

Neithhotep smiled.

"Well, until you interfered with _my_ story, yes."

Elkay frowned, pursing her beak in agitation.

"You've got a lot of nerve, claiming that this story belonged to you the whole time!"

Neithhotep shrugged casually.

"Well, you know what they say: everyone's the hero of their own story."

And with a wink of her kohl-lined eye, she soared towards the mountain's peak to rescue June.


	45. The Truth Of The Matter

Claire lumbered down the mountain slowly. She had no real reason to hurry, now that she was . . . well . . . now that she wasn't _human_. Everything she had been looking forward to suddenly seemed absolutely impossible. Her future had been blown away like a thin trail of smoke, setting off the fire alarm of misery. Or some such.

Well, how was she expected to come up with proper similes, now that she had lost everything that had ever mattered to her? She had nothing to hold onto. Even if she _did_ , she had no hands to do the holding with. Her job? Gone. Her respect? Gone. Owen?

 _Owen_.

Oh, god! He was still waiting for her at the bottom of the cliff with a broken leg, wasn't he?

Claire thundered down the mountain in panic, only to bump into Owen on the way down. She knocked him off of his feet, sending him flying backwards into a mud puddle. When he sat up, he rubbed his head and smiled.

"I'm glad to see you, too. Wing-lady healed my leg, in case you're wondering. How did things go with June?"

"She won't be a problem anymore."

Owen gave her a knowing look.

"You didn't kill her, did you?"

Claire shook her head. Owen grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"I knew you'd do the right thing, Clairebear. I'm so proud of you."

She didn't reply, because she felt ready to break at any second. If there was one thing she didn't want to do, it was cry in front of Owen. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then exhaled stiffly.

"There's something I have to tell you . . ." she muttered in a barely-audible voice.

Owen leaned in, slightly worried.

"Claire, what's wrong?"

She looked into his eyes, only to realize that it was a huge mistake. His innocent gaze made her want to break down in tears, so she looked away and pawed at the ground shyly.

"I . . . I feel bad about leaving you down there with a broken leg."

Owen smiled with relief and rubbed his forehead against hers.

"You don't have to worry about _that_ , Clairebear. You were busy fighting a giant dinosaur, and besides, I wasn't about to get up and walk away . . . Oh! That reminds me: I brought you a present. . ."

Claire watched as he unhooked her high heels from a rope on his shoulder. He held one in each hand and spun them around cheerfully.

"Ta-dah! You want to put them on?"

Claire bit her beak. She could feel her heart quivering. Finally, she closed her eyes and prepared to tell him the truth.

"Owen, I-"

"CLAIRE!"

Before she could explain her situation, she felt herself being tackled to the ground by a very happy Mozaradon. She was promptly scooped up by a pair of leathery wings, which constricted around her belly until she had no air left in her lungs.

"Claire! Claire! Claire! You'll never guess what just happened!" Zara trilled merrily as she bounced up and down on her dinky little legs.

"Wmph!"

"Robin- she's the yellow dinosaur- invited me to go live on the other island with her!"

Zara did a dainty pirouette as Claire wheezed uncomfortably.

"Oh, Claire! It's going to be so much fun! She says there's miles and miles of tropical jungle, white sand beaches, and friendly locals! Apparently, all of the carnivores are sentient, so they get along just fine with humans . . ."

Claire wiggled out of her arms, gasping for air.

"That's great, Zara, I'm happy for you."

Lowery came jogging up behind her with Vivian by his side.

"Zara, the people in this world think you're dead. Are you just gonna let them believe that? Isn't there someone you want to say goodbye to, at least?"

Zara bit her lip and looked at her massive, scaly body. After a moment, she shook her head.

"I'd rather be remembered for what I was. I don't think he- _they_ would understand . . . It's better if everyone thinks I'm dead."

Claire gave her an uneasy smile and patted her rear flipper.

"Well, Zara, I hope you find what you're looking for."

Zara shot her a wide grin (which was a little terrifying, given her jagged teeth) and held out her wing-hand.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Claire smiled sadly, pushing Zara's wing to the side with her horn.

"Nah. An island full of carnivores doesn't really appeal to me all that much."

Zara pouted.

"It's not _all_ carnivores. There are plenty of plant-eaters. They just don't speak, is all. Well, except Hoskins. They're dragging him along so he can take sensitivity courses to better integrate into society or something."

Owen raised his eyebrows.

"Another excellent reason to pass. But in all seriousness, Claire and I have to get home. Barry will be wondering what happened to us, and we have a lot of legal issues to sort through. We're in this together now. Right, Clairebear?"

He held out her high heels. Claire stared at them for a moment, then began to tremble.

"Owen . . . I can't."

He cocked his head.

"Claire, I know it's scary, but we have to be held accountable for our-"

"I'm stuck."

Owen blinked.

"Are you- Are you standing in quicksand or something?"

Claire shook her head.

"No, Owen. I'm stuck as a stegoceratops. Forever. I lost the flower."

Owen knew she was telling the truth, because she didn't change back after her last sentence. There was an awkward silence. Owen gave up on searching for the appropriate response, and simply knelt down to hug her face.

"Oh, Claire . . . I'm so sorry."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and nuzzled his chest.

"Thank you, Owen, for being there, even when I thought I didn't need you. I'll never forget what you've done for me. I hope I can repay you someday."

She felt a prickling sensation in her eyes and gave him one last nudge.

"Goodbye."

She turned away, but Owen frowned and cut in front of her.

"Where are you going?"

Claire shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I could wander around the jungle until I find a home . . ."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"Oh, don't do _that_. I can build a shelter, if we need a place to stay."

Claire gave a humorless laugh.

"Owen, I can't ask you to stay with me."

He blinked.

"Wait . . . you weren't planning on wandering off _alone_ , were you?"

Claire nodded slowly with a puzzled frown.

"Yeah . . . That's the idea . . ."

Owen crossed his arms.

"What ever happened to sticking together for survival?"

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Owen, I can't make you do this."

"You wouldn't be _making_ me. I _want_ to stay with you."

Claire bit her lip.

"We'd be stuck together for a very long time . . ."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Owen pressed his lips against her beak, catching her off guard. Her eyes went wide, and she felt utterly paralyzed. Gradually, though, her defenses slipped away, and she couldn't stop herself from returning his kiss. The others looked away awkwardly, except Zara, who gave a sincere "awww". When they pulled apart, Owen smiled and placed the high-heeled shoes on her horns.

"See? They still fit."

Claire smiled and punched his shoulder jokingly. He chuckled and leaned up against her side as she trotted away, leaving the rest of the crew on their own. Lowery took a deep breath and kneeled in front of Vivian, putting both hands on her cheeks.

"Viv, I've been thinking real hard about this, and I've decided that what Owen said goes for me too. I don't care if you're a dinosaur. You're still Vivian, and I lo-"

"Actually, I texted my boyfriend, and he's totally okay with this."

Lowery froze.

"What?"

"Yeah, he said that he'll come live with me on my grandpa's acreage."

Lowery blinked.

"Oh."

"Thanks anyway, though."

Lowery pursed his lips.

"I guess I should go . . . somewhere else . . . right now . . ."

Vivian nodded.

"Yeah . . ."

After a moment, they gave each other a quick hug and waddled away in opposite directions. Zara watched everyone leave with a lonely expression.

"So . . . I guess none of us are saying goodbye, then? Alright. Fine. Not like I had a speech prepared."

Silence.

"I'll just show myself out . . ."

Zara spread her wings, but a tiny sound made her hesitate. She looked down at the ground and saw an ant hopping up and down to get her attention.

"Mr. Masrani?"

Zara picked up a stick and let him crawl on it.

"Are you coming with me to the other world?"

The ant nodded. Zara gave a wide grin.

"Good. Something tells me I'm not going to be lonely after all."

***TSJWFEW***

It's my day and I'm doing okay.

I can make a difference in so many ways.

It doesn't matter what happens to me, cuz it's my choice to feel happy.


	46. Home At Last

June stared through the garage window, taking in the warm sight in front of her. Her family was sitting at a very large dinner table, laughing and smiling like a Hallmark stock photo. She could see her grandmother, her mother, her brother . . . and her father, who had promised that he would always be there for her when she returned. And he _was_ there, passing the potatoes to the boy she had once called Butterball. Would her father still accept her, now that she had committed atrocious acts of genocide? Something told her that he would, but that wasn't the point. By inviting herself back into his life, she'd be ruining that perfect picture. She'd replace the smiles with frowns and the food with a terrible mess all over the table. It was only a matter of time before she wrecked something or mauled someone or caused a ruckus. If she didn't do it immediately, they'd be expecting her to snap at any moment, which would make it all the more tragic when she proved them right. With teary eyes, she turned away from the window and waddled up to Neithhotep, who was waiting patiently behind her.

"I can't do this."

The dragon smiled in consolation.

"I know it's hard, but you'll be happier at home."

June bit her lip.

"What if I'm not supposed to be happy?"

Neithhotep dipped her head down with a concerned expression.

"Why do you say that?"

"I hurt people, and people who hurt people shouldn't be happy."

Neithhotep tilted her head.

"Oh, sweetie . . . I don't know what to say."

June shuffled her feet.

"I think I would like to be dead."

Neithhotep blinked.

"Sorry, what?"

"I don't want to be alive. I did bad things to good people. It never bothered me much, but now I'm starting to think about what I've done. I used to believe that everyone did mean things to be powerful, but I never thought about what the people at the bottom felt like. I wanted to be on top because I used to be the one who got hurt. Yesterday, I was reminded of what it feels like to lose. I remembered all of the mean people who did mean things to me, and I realized that Claire had the chance to do those things too. But she didn't. She helped me. I took everything from her. I made her hurt. But she helped me. She _helped_ me . . ."

Neithhotep put her hand on June's shoulder.

"I know you feel bad about the things you've done. That's the first step to becoming a better person. But you can't just sit and cry about it. You have to make it right. The best way to do that is reintegrating yourself."

June peeked through the window once more.

"What if they don't want me?"

"That's a risk you'll have to take."

June whimpered and hugged Neithhotep's leg. She patted the spinosaur's head as she began to sob.

"I can't . . . I can't do it . . . Please, don't make me."

Neithhotep sighed and looked through the window.

"Wait here."

The dragon slipped away, leaving June alone. She was horrified to see her lift the garage door and step through, closing it behind her. Was she going to speak with her family? June had to know. Unfortunately, when she tried to look through the window, she found that Neithhotep was blocking her view from the inside. She crawled around the building, trying to find another way to spy on her, but was unsuccessful. Desperate, she pressed her ear against the door, listening intently. They were speaking too quietly for her to hear, which made her predicament all the more unnerving. Finally, she gave up and sat down on a discarded tire. She kicked her legs idly while she waited, praying that she wasn't about to be banished for good. When the door slid open once more, her heart trembled.

"June?"

She raised her head as Neithhotep reappeared outside.

"I have something for you."

She held out her hand, revealing a bright pink flower. June stared at it with confusion.

"It looks like felt . . ."

Neithhotep smiled.

"That's because it's a magic flower."

June cocked her head.

"Like the Lilylotusdrop?"

Neithhotep nodded.

"Yes, only this flower doesn't heal you. Instead, it disguises you when you wear it."

June bit her lip.

"Does it really work?"

"Absolutely. Just put it on, and you can walk straight through that door without them recognizing you."

June reached for the flower, but paused halfway.

"I can't take this."

"Why not?"

"I don't deserve it."

Neithhotep smiled.

"I have no use for it. Take it, child, and be with your family."

She placed the flower on the side of June's head and nudged her towards the garage. June was reluctant at first, but she drew up all of her courage and inched through the door. Her family seemed to be waiting for something, because they were all smiling at her when she came in.

"Hello, there," her father said, "Where did _you_ come from?"

June didn't know what to say, so she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"I'm from Madrid."

Her brother gave a spiteful scowl.

"Funny, you don't seem to have an accent . . ."

Her father elbowed him sharply, and he fell silent.

"Do you have a name?" her grandmother asked.

". . . April . . ."

Her mother smiled.

"Well, April, as long as you're here, why don't you stay the night?"

April nodded.

"I'd like that."

She flinched as her mother reached down for a hug, and everyone froze. There was a tense moment, but April didn't lash out. She hugged her mother, then her father, then her grandmother, and finally, her brother. He didn't seem too happy about it. After that, her parents led her to her new room, where she curled up on her bed and closed her eyes. It was funny that they had a room ready for her, she thought, but she wasn't in a position to complain. The mattress was the softest thing she'd ever slept on, and the blankets were plush and warm. It took her no time at all to drift off into a deep sleep.

She didn't even have nightmares, this time.


	47. Small People, Big World

Claire watched the sun setting over the hills and hoodoos that surrounded Badger Ranch. She enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle she now led, yet her heart yearned for normality, a concept that was unattainable while she was a two ton hybrid dinosaur. At least she had a home. If there was a silver lining to the cloud of the past few days, it was that Claire now owned a large chunk of land, courtesy of wing-lady. Of course, her real name was Ellie, as Claire now knew. She dropped in every now and then to check up on her. Claire was grateful to have someone to help her adapt to her new lifestyle, but she had to wonder what secrets this mysterious woman was keeping. Nevertheless, she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to make her situation worse.

With a furrowed brow, Claire focused on a pinpoint of light that had appeared on the horizon. As it drew near, she could make out the glowing shape of a young stegoceratops. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran forward to greet the apparition. The child hugged her around the neck as she caught her in her arms.

"Flower . . ."

"I missed you, Claire. I never got to say goodbye."

Claire wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Flower. I'm sorry for letting you die."

Flower nuzzled up against her chest.

"It's not your fault, Claire. Some things can't be changed. You did your best."

Claire choked and squeezed her tight.

"I love you. I love you so much . . ."

"I love you too. And I'm proud of you. I know it wasn't easy to help June."

Claire sniffed.

"I had to, Flower. I couldn't let her die."

Flower cocked her head.

"Does this mean you're stuck like this forever?"

Claire nodded. Flower bumped her with her beak and smiled.

"You don't have to be sad. I like you better this way. You're plenty pretty."

Claire laughed through her tears.

"Thank you, Flower. That means a lot to me."

Flower reached up and touched the cut on Claire's cheek.

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I didn't know it was my fault until the others told me. It won't last forever, though. Wounds heal."

Claire blinked.

"The others? . . ."

Flower nodded.

"Rock and Sandy and Cloud and Olive . . . They're all with me, Claire. We're happy together. There are more stegoceratopses, too."

"Who?"

"My parents. They're just like I remember them. They told me to thank you for taking care of me."

Claire smiled.

"Tell them it wasn't any trouble. They're lucky to have you, Sweetheart."

Flower put her little feet on Claire's front horn and smiled whimsically.

"I wish you could see it, Claire. There's sunny fields in every direction, with endless green grass. You can run for miles and miles and still come home to your family, and it's never too hot or too cold."

Claire smiled.

"It sounds wonderful."

Flower nodded.

"You'll see it, someday. We all will. For now, be grateful for life. You're going to have a lot of adventures, I just know it. Promise me you'll enjoy it while it lasts."

Claire ran her hand over Flower's frill.

"I promise."

Flower smiled.

"Good. I have to go soon. They're waiting for me back home."

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Owen?"

Flower shook her head.

"He already let me go, in his own way. He doesn't want to admit it, but what he needed more than anything in the world was a family, and now he has you. Besides, it's never really goodbye. We'll see each other again, someday."

Claire gave Flower one last hug.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

She let go of her reluctantly, and the child trotted back the way she came. She ran up to meet another glowing figure, a green dragon creature with a snakelike body, and they both flew into the sky, evaporating as they went. Claire watched the heavens with tears in her eyes before turning back to the cabin. When she did, she saw Owen jogging up to her.

"Claire! It's ready!"

He saw the redness around her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Claire smiled.

"I think I'm going to be."

Owen nodded towards the cabin.

"Come see."

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie lay down her quill and tapped her papers until they were even. After a long day of dealing with problems such as property disputes, food rationing, and population control (not to mention the sugar glider that had been hiding in her bra), she was about ready to drop. Elkay pattered up behind her, seeing that she was beginning a new page, with the quill moving on its own this time.

"Last chapter, huh?"

"Mhm."

"And we're sharing it with Claire?"

"Yes. We're no longer separate. She knows me. We're cool."

Elkay nodded.

"That'll be nice. It's no fun when you have to hide yourself from your characters."

Ellie was about to come up with a sassy reply, but Robin burst through the door with a massive grin, and she figured it would be best to listen to her news.

"Zara is _so_ funny! She doesn't understand American things."

Ellie blinked.

"What do you mean?"

Robin sniggered as Zara poked her head through the window. She beckoned her closer with a mischievous look.

"Zara, tell Ellie what you told me."

"What?"

"About your schedule."

Zara gave a perplexed frown.

"I just said that I need to wake up at seven for swimming lessons, so I'd like to have someone knock me up in the morning."

Robin burst out laughing, falling backwards and kicking her legs in the air. Elkay giggled gently, while Ellie simply rolled her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Zara asked, "I just need someone to knock me up."

This sent Robin into another fit of laughter. As she rolled around on the floor, Alan stepped through the doorway and inched around her evasively.

"Hey, Alan!" Ellie trilled, "What's up?"

"That new dragon wants to see you."

"Who?"

"Neopet or whatever."

Ellie nodded.

"Alright. We'll see what she's up to."

***TSJWFEW***

They found Neithhotep on a tall mountain that overlooked the sea. The leftover sunlight sparkled across the waves, giving her silhouette an almost mystical quality. She was standing over a large stone with fresh etchings that formed a pawprint. Beside it, she had placed an old collar to pay her respects to the hound who had assumed that she didn't love him. Ellie didn't know if she was honoring him out of politeness, but she sensed that there was something more to her mourning.

"I thought you might like to share this space with me," Neithhotep said quietly, "I know losing Zebil was hard for you, and I'm s-"

She cringed.

"I'm s-z-s-z-s . . ."

Elkay gave a half-smile.

"It's okay. I know what you're trying to say."

Slowly, she walked forward and pulled something out from behind her ear. It was a blue, striped tail. Before she could place it on the grave, she noticed something peculiar. There was a tiny ant carrying a bindle full of crumbs across a small stream, making his way to a nutshell that seemed to be his home. Elkay smiled.

"You know, I'll always have my memories of Zebil, but right now, someone really needs a touch of his magic."

She placed a single blue hair on the ant, and suddenly, he became a two-inch-tall white tiger. He spun to the left, then to the right, and grinned enthusiastically.

"Thank you. This is marginally better than being an insect."

Elkay nodded.

"Yeah . . . Plus, it will please a certain demographic, so there's that . . ."

They watched the tiger stroll away to find better accommodations, then turned back to the stone.

"Should I breathe ice over it?" Elkay asked.

"Why would you ever do that," Neithhotep said in a tone that indicated she was making a statement rather than asking a question.

"I like to breathe ice over things."

"Don't."

Ellie looked out at the setting sun and tilted her head to the side.

"So . . . What now?"

Elkay shrugged.

"I guess we just wait."

"For what?"

"For another adventure to find us."

Neithhotep nodded.

"There are plenty of loose ends that could become frayed in our story. I have dozens of Indominus Rex clones waiting to engage in deadly combat. And then there are the souls that flew away when the Tama Potto was broken . . ."

Elkay raised her eyebrow.

"It's nice to know that someone else screwed things up for once."

Neithhotep didn't reply. Instead, she brushed her wing over the memorial stone and glided down from the peak. Relieved that she was gone, Elkay nudged her granddaughter gently and smiled.

"You looking forward to the gap?"

"The what?"

"The gap between novels. You get to write short stories to fill the dead air."

Ellie nodded.

"Sounds like fun. What will we write about?"

" _You_ will write about whatever you want."

"Then I'd better get started."

They began to walk away.

"Ellie?"

"Yes?"

"Whose story is it now?"

"Not ours."

"Why do you say that?"

Ellie thought about Claire and Owen. She could see them in her mind's eye, hanging their new project on the wall. It was a butterfly made out of cedar branches. In the center of the display was a small, chewed-up looking flower. They stepped back to admire their work, leaning on each other for support. Then, they moved to the balcony and mounted their stegoceratops-sized bench swing. Ellie smiled and tucked a loose tuft of hair behind her ear.

"It's Claire's story."

Elkay raised her eyebrows.

"Claire's? But she's so insignificant compared to us!"

Ellie nodded.

"She played a small role, but a hero isn't measured by the size of the challenges they face. The purpose of Fiction, after all, is to remind us that in this vast, untamed world, we are all very, very small indeed."

 **The End**


	48. Epilogue

"Do we have an agreement, Mr. DeMille?"

"You realize that what you're asking of me is unorthodox, correct?"

"I have the money. You can make it happen."

"What if I can't locate them?"

"My sisters are waiting for me, Mr. DeMille, and I have no doubt that you're capable of finding them. They don't exactly blend in."

"Why don't you go looking for them yourself?"

"I don't blend in either."

"Fair enough. How am I supposed to convince them to come back with me?"

"They'll come once you tell them who is requesting their presence."

"Right. I'll need to know your name."

"They call me Blue."


	49. Kiss

Claire yawned as she heard a bird chirping outside. The sun had already risen over the mountains, which meant that it was time to wake up. Even so, she could theoretically allow herself to enjoy just a few more minutes of rest. She continued to breathe deeply, ignoring the morning for a little while. She drifted in and out of dreams, but eventually, she decided to stop with this wishy-washy nonsense and wake up for good. She stretched out her legs and wiggled around, trying to get herself out of her lethargic state. It was then that she noticed something wrapped around her tail. After a couple of shakes, she realized that it was Owen.

"Mmm . . ."

"Did I wake you up?"

He stared at her with drowsy eyes and shook his head.

"No. I've been awake for a while."

"Why didn't you get up, then?"

"I was comfortable. You're very warm. Warmer than before, even."

Claire bit her lower beak, and Owen realized too late that he had brought up the elephant in the room. Namely, the fact that she was very similar to an elephant in the room. Claire didn't necessarily encourage complete evasion of the topic, but she definitely didn't enjoy being reminded of the fact that she was a stegoceratops. Of course, the issue was hard to avoid, because there were many limitations that needed to be addressed. Claire still felt guilty about that one morning when Owen had made her bacon and eggs, only to find that she couldn't eat them. Well, at the very least, he didn't seem to have any sensitive topics of his own to deal with . . .

"I'm going to take a shower."

Claire blinked.

"What? Already?"

Owen nodded.

"I, uh . . . I like to have showers in the morning."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Owen, we need to talk about this."

He went rigid.

"Claire, I-"

"You always take a million years to shower in the morning, and when you're done, the mirror is all fogged up."

He sighed with relief.

"I can take shorter showers, if you want."

Claire nodded.

"Please do. Fifteen minutes of water is expensive each morning, and I don't want to inconvenience Ellie."

Owen nodded.

"Sure thing. I'll just . . . go."

He hobbled over to the bathroom quickly. Claire wondered if he'd be true to his word. The one advantage of his long showers was that she had time to graze outside. She wasn't too happy about her current eating habits, but there was not much she could do to change her biology. She wasn't sure if she was hungry all the time because she was starving herself or because that was just the way she was. She'd have to ask Ellie.

During all of this pondering, Owen had come out of the shower. He had taken hardly any time at all. He wasn't in for long enough to fog up the mirror, apparently. In fact, he hadn't even washed his hair. Claire smiled as he reentered the room.

"Thanks, Owen. I really appreciate it."

He nodded in reply, his teeth chattering.

***TSJWFEW***

Having missed her secret grazing opportunity, Claire was forced to eat grass in plain sight. Owen sat on the bench-swing reading a novel while she stepped down from the patio and into the field. He lifted his head briefly when she tore up her first clump, but promptly turned back to his book, finding nothing out of the ordinary in her behavior. Claire was self-conscious at first, but after a while, she got into a rhythm. She'd tilt her head, grab a clump, then tear it from the ground.

Tilt, grab, tear.

Tilt, grab, tear.

Tilt, grab, tear.

After a few minutes, she decided to quit the endeavor. Although she was happy with her system, she realized that Owen must feel very uncomfortable watching her, and it would be rude to continue. When she looked up, however, he was still engrossed in his novel. Claire lumbered over to the bench-swing and sat down beside him.

"Hey."

He put his book down and wrapped his arm around her (as far as it would go).

"Did you have a good breakfast?"

Shit! He brought it up. What was she supposed to say?

"It was . . . grass . . ."

Owen twisted his mouth.

"We should plant you a garden."

"Why?"

"Well, if you don't like grass, I want you to have different options."

Claire shook her head quickly.

"No, the grass is fine. It's just . . . Is it weird for me to eat grass?"

Owen narrowed his eyes.

"Well, there wasn't any grass in dinosaur times, so I don't know if it's-"

"That's not what I meant."

Owen frowned in confusion. When he realized what she was getting at, he shrugged.

"I see nothing wrong with it. But you shouldn't have to care what _I_ think."

"I don't!"

"Then don't be afraid."

"I'm not!"

"Good."

He leaned against her shoulder and smiled. After a second, his eyes flicked open.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you: Barry's taking me into town today."

Claire blinked.

"Barry's coming? _Today_?"

Owen nodded.

"He says I have to preserve my masculinity, now that I have a girlfriend."

Claire frowned.

"Did he."

"Mhm. It doesn't mean much coming from him, though, because he once said that he only eats smooth peanut butter because the other kind is too 'bumpity' and gross."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Great. How long will you be?"

"Couple of hours, tops. Don't worry. I couldn't possibly forget about you . . ."

He stretched up and gave her a kiss. To make it easier for him, Claire knelt down on the swinging bench like a crouching lamb and let him crawl beneath her. They embraced for a few seconds before Owen pulled away.

"Claire, why don't you ever kiss me?"

Claire blinked in confusion.

"What?" she asked cluelessly.

"I'm always the one to initiate our kisses," Owen remarked, "Why don't you ever kiss me first?"

Claire shrugged.

"I dunno. It's no big deal, Owen. If we kiss, we kiss."

He nodded halfheartedly.

"I guess . . . I just wish you would surprise me once in a while."

Claire smiled.

"I can be plenty surprising . . ."

They turned their heads as a shrill horn beeped twice. From a glimmering portal, Barry sped forward in a very small car. Claire took one look at him and laughed.

"A smartcar! He bought a smartcar!"

She turned to Owen.

"Tell me, _who_ was questioning your masculinity again?"

Barry pulled up to the porch and turned off his vehicle. He stepped out and punched Owen's shoulder jovially.

"Hey, Owen! How have things been?"

"Great, Barry! You?"

"Good, good. I just finished fixing a water heater in the other world. Zara says hi."

Claire smiled.

"How is she doing?"

"Better, I think. She's keeping herself busy, anyway. Now, Owen, do you need a second to get ready?"

Owen shook his head.

"Naw, I can go now. Do you need anything, Claire?"

"When you get back, can you saw my horns off?"

Owen's eye twitched.

"I think I misheard you."

Claire shook her head.

"I want you to saw my horns off. They're getting in the way."

Owen bit his lip.

"Claire, I can't do that . . ."

"It probably won't hurt-"

"Claire, I can't saw your horns off because you really ought to keep them. They're beautiful."

"And very useful for hanging coats," Barry snickered.

Owen kicked his leg and turned back to Claire.

"We'll talk about this later. Don't try anything until I get back, okay?"

Claire nudged him with her beak.

"Okay."

He mussed the area where her hair would have been and smiled.

"I love you, Clairebear."

He glowered as Barry burst out laughing. With a helpless shrug, he followed him into the car. As they sped down the dirt road, Claire bit her lower beak.

"I love you too, Owen."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen tapped his fingers on the rim of the car's window, feeling the wind blowing through his hair. He glanced at the rearview mirror every few seconds, even though the ranch was out of sight. Barry elbowed him lightly.

"You seem nervous."

Owen nodded.

"I'm worried about Claire."

"She probably won't saw her own horns off . . ."

Owen frowned.

"It's not about _that_. I'm just worried about her in general."

"She can't cause _too_ much damage, can she?"

Owen frowned.

"Barry, she's not an animal. That's the point. Ever since she was stuck as a stegoceratops, she's been . . . different."

"Different?"

"She's gotten really shy and quiet, and she cries a lot."

"How often?"

"Regularly. I didn't mind, at first, because I thought it would be a one-time thing, but she's still at it."

"Well, if she's crying, she's probably upset," Barry said unnecessarily.

"I know. I try to understand what's wrong, but she keeps tiptoeing around the issue. I want to help her, but she won't tell me what she needs."

Barry rubbed his chin. He sat in silence for a bit, then snapped his fingers.

"She must be upset because she's a stegoceratops."

Owen slapped his forehead.

"Barry . . . I know. That part is kind of obvious."

Barry shrugged.

"Well, I tried. Why don't you forget about her for a bit and enjoy yourself?"

Owen groaned.

"I can't enjoy myself while she's miserable."

He sighed and looked out the window.

"Maybe we ought to go back . . ."

Barry shook his head.

"Owen, it's been forever since we hung out. Don't let her ruin this."

Owen crossed his arms.

"Barry, she's all I have. I've lost a lot of family members as of late, and I'm not about to let her go."

Barry made a whipping sound.

"Stop that!" Owen complained, "Being concerned for Claire does _not_ make me her slave. Now turn the car around. I have to make sure she's okay."

Barry sighed.

"You're making a mistake, Owen."

"Do it."

"I refuse. Claire is a grown woman. She can take care of herself."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire grunted in frustration as she tried to rub her horn against the electric saw. There was no way she could operate the machinery by herself, but she could at least get started on her project while Owen was in town. She moved her head back and forth, hoping to make a small cut. Growing frustrated, she pushed her horn harder. That was when she slipped. She slid down the blade, and before she knew it, she was blinking blood out of her eye. She tossed her head and mooed in distress.

"Shit! Owen is gonna kill me!"

She thundered out of the tool shed and made her way to the main cabin. Once inside, she darted to the right and entered the unfinished bathroom. Ellie had been renovating the house like crazy for the past few days, so there was no tile on the ground. Luckily, there was a mirror large enough for her to use. Claire placed her front feet on the sink and peered at her injury. The cut didn't appear to be deep, but it was bleeding like crazy. To make matters worse, she hadn't even put a dent in her horns, and-

 _CRACK_!

Claire brayed in surprise as the sink broke under her weight. The porcelain shattered as it hit the ground, making a powdery, white mess. She looked at the jagged fragments and bit her lip. It looked like a shark had taken a bite out of the bowl. Claire whimpered as tears began to form in her eyes. She sniffled as quietly as she could manage, but when the first drop of water slid down her cheek, she knew it was Game Over. She sat down on her big, fat rump and started sobbing into her front feet.

As she made a shrill whimper-scream, Claire turned to examine her figure. Her tail was hanging limply behind her like a wet baguette. With a deep frown, she stood up, grabbed the wretched thing in her beak, and pulled hard. She didn't know what she hoped to accomplish by tugging on her tail, but she knew that she'd be a lot happier without it. Slamming her thagomizer to the ground, she stepped on it and attempted to trample it with her back feet. Maybe she could reduce it to a bloody pulp and it would fall off on its own.

Claire continued to batter herself until the pain set in. She had done some real damage to her tail, but unfortunately, it was not enough to warrant amputation. She bit down hard on one of her spikes and tried to yank it out. Of course, it was stuck to her, but she didn't care. There came a point when she stopped attacking herself and simply tossed her head in distress. She mooed dolefully, but when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, her sorrow turned to anger.

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

She screamed in fury and slammed her face against the glass. After a few seconds, she realized how foolish she was being. As she slid her horns out of the wall, she heard the loose pieces clinking to the floor. She avoided looking directly at the mess she had caused. Instead, she backed out of the bathroom, stepped outside, and continued to cry there. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed until she realized that she had begun to graze unconsciously. She spat out a mouthful of grass, sincerely disappointed in herself. On one hand, she was clearly comfort-eating, but on the other hand, she needed to adjust her diet. She was absolutely starving, but if she were to eat properly, she'd get fatter, and then she'd have even more to be upset about. She didn't want to be a chronic eater, but if left to her own devices, she'd have nothing else to do. Maybe she could take up a hobby. She could knit. No, that wouldn't work, because she didn't have hands. Besides, she'd end up becoming a chronic knitter or something. Maybe she could just help out around the house. Would that make her a chronic cleaner? Oh, why did everything have to be so _hard_?

***TSJWFEW***

"Ah! Barry! Let me go!"

Owen struggled to escape Barry's grasp, but he had him pinned under his arm.

"Sorry, Owen. This is for your own good."

"Damnit, Barry, she needs me!"

Barry tossed Owen to the ground.

"Listen to me, Owen. Claire can handle herself. Take a day off."

"Love doesn't get a holiday!"

Owen tried to push past, but Barry immobilized him.

"Owen, you'll feel a lot better once we've socialized with other people. You're getting cabin fever."

Owen grunted as Barry dragged him away from the car.

"Barry, I'm not getting cabin fever! Claire is all alone right now, and-"

Barry held up his hand.

"Tell you what? Why don't we compromise? You come into town with me, and we'll buy something for Claire. Sound okay?"

Owen nodded reluctantly.

"Alright . . . But I'm not staying for any longer than two hours. Claire is waiting for me."

Barry rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure she's keeping herself busy."

***TSJWFEW***

"Mooooooooo . . ."

Claire rolled around on her back miserably, letting her plates fold every which way. She lowed like a sick animal, and her tongue flopped out of her mouth lazily.

"I'm disguuuuuuuuusting . . ."

She rolled onto her side and kicked her legs.

"I'm repuuuuuuuuulsive . . ."

She rubbed her cheek against the carpet.

"I haaaaaaaaate myself . . ."

She gave up on her self-pity and waddled through the house, making her way towards the fridge. She was both grateful and furious that Ellie's allosaur friend had volunteered to provide her with food, because she had left no less than five tubs of chocolate ice cream in the freezer . . . soon to be one.

Claire finished the bucket, licking it clean with her massive tongue before putting it with the others. She was feeling less hungry now, but the ache in her stomach had shifted to her head. It felt like someone was whacking a hammer against her skull. Claire waddled over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Advil. She stuck the cap in her mouth and bit down hard. Unfortunately, instead of giving her extra grip, the bite crushed the entire bottle. Claire stood with the broken plastic hanging from her beak. She was beyond tears now, and just wanted this day to be over. She looked down at the scattered pellets and began to lap them up directly off of the floor. It couldn't hurt to ingest every single one, considering her body was fifty gazillion times larger than a normal human being. If anything, they wouldn't be enough for her.

Probably.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen scanned the items in his shopping basket with a furrowed brow. He rummaged through, trying to get a better look at his haul.

"Green apple soap, green apple bubblebath, green apple shampoo . . ."

"She's doesn't even have hair!" Barry snorted.

"Yes, but she has a frill. It's practically the same thing."

Barry shook his head.

"You're unbelievable. Are you sure she likes green apples?"

Owen nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, she told me that she liked the smell of green apples, once."

"Does she like it enough to warrant buying all of this junk?"

Owen pouted.

"What else am I supposed to do, Barry? I can't get her clothing or gift cards . . ."

"Dinosaurs don't use gift cards?"

"Not if they're being hidden on a ranch."

Barry's face fell.

"You mean she can never leave?"

"Of course not. She's a dinosaur."

Barry shook his head.

"That's rough."

Owen nodded.

"I know. I want to be there for her."

Barry sighed. After a moment, he nodded.

"I guess we can head back."

Owen smiled gently.

"Thanks for understanding, Barry."

"Yeah, well, don't be surprised if you're overreacting."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire screamed in pain as her stomach twisted violently. She didn't know what was going on inside of her, but whatever it was, it hurt like hell. She winced and placed her front feet on her belly, only to find that it made the pain worse.

Suddenly, Ellie appeared out of nowhere and crouched down beside her.

"Claire, don't say a word. I've been surveilling your physical state, and you have a hole in your stomach. It's very likely that you overdosed on Advil."

Claire's eyes went wide. She tried to move, but Ellie held her down.

"Hold still. I can fix you."

She placed her hands on Claire's side and ran them over the burning area. The pain disappeared.

"There. Now, what were you doing, taking all of that medication?"

"I had a headache," Claire whispered shamefully.

Ellie cocked her head and frowned.

"Claire . . . Don't be so impulsive. This is a new body, and it has new limitations. Don't assume that you can endure anything."

Claire whimpered and bit her lip.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just . . . It's not . . . It's not fair!"

Claire sniffed loudly.

"I had everything back home. I was a human being. I could go outside without worrying if anyone was around. I could walk to the grocery store and buy food. I could do anything anyone else could do, and nobody gave me a second glance."

Ellie sighed.

"I'm sorry, Claire, but you're just gonna have to accept the fact that you aren't human anymore."

Claire took a shaky breath.

"I know. It's just so hard . . ."

Ellie nodded.

"Nothing in life comes easy."

With a tired moo, Claire stood up and shook the dust off of her sides.

"I broke the sink you installed. I'm sorry."

Ellie smiled.

"Don't be. The more things you break, the better for us, because we get to learn how to design things for different dinosaurs. You're helping a lot of people by being our guinea pig."

"Cow-sized guinea pig."

Ellie turned to the door.

"It sounds like Owen is on his way down the main road. I'll leave before he gets here."

"Are you going to tell him about the Advil?"

"No, honey, of course not."

Claire nodded slowly.

"Thank you . . . For everything."

Ellie winked.

"No problem."

She disappeared as the rattling of a motor became audible. Claire charged through the hall and out the front door. She thundered down the dusty road, heading for the punchbuggy at full force. Owen got out of the car as it was still moving and ran over to meet her. Their collision appeared to be brutal, but it was really a lot more gentle than most hugs. Claire fell on her back as she held Owen against her belly, and as she did, he slid forward, setting himself up nicely for a kiss (which Claire initiated). Barry rolled his eyes as they embraced, pretending that there was something that needed examining on his car. Owen and Claire ignored him, both smiling dopily.

"You're home early . . ."

"I couldn't stay away."

"Thank you for coming back."

"It was my pleasure."

They continued to kiss, but to Claire's horror, she uttered a gentle moo. Pulling back immediately, she stared at Owen with wide eyes.

"Oh my god . . . I'm so sorry."

Owen gave a lopsided grin.

"Don't be. I find it en- _dearing_."

Claire blinked.

"Wow. That's such an original pun. I've never heard that one before."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"Really? Because you'd think someone would have . . . Oh. You were being sarcastic."

Claire smiled.

"Well, I suppose I can let bad puns slip, since I'm s-owen love."

"Clairely."

Beside them, Barry snorted.

"Get a room!"

"Get a girlfriend, Barry!" Owen retorted.

"If you find me a nice French girl, we'll talk."

Owen rolled his eyes and turned back to Claire, still perched on her belly.

"So, is everything okay?"

Claire nodded.

"Yeah. Why?"

"There's a cut on your eyebrow."

Claire gulped. She tried to think of a clever excuse, but settled on telling the truth.

"I tried to saw my own horns off."

"Oh, Claire . . ."

"It's okay, though," she said quickly, "I don't think I'll try that again. Besides, you said they were pretty."

Owen smiled.

"As I recall, I used the word 'beautiful'."

"Even better."

As they made a dive for their third kiss, Barry gave an exasperated sigh.

"Seriously?"

Owen held out his middle finger without breaking contact.

"Oh, real mature!" Barry laughed, "Should I leave you two alone, then?"

Owen broke away from Claire briefly to speak.

"Yeah. Can we hang out some other time?"

Barry nodded.

"Sure. Sounds good. Just as long as you never make out in front of me again."

Owen laughed.

"Deal. See you later."

And so it was that Claire kissed Owen for the very first time after her transformation. She had been expecting it to be a big deal, but really, once she had a reason to kiss him, it came naturally. Somehow, he had a way of making her forget what she was. That was fine by her. Maybe, in some strange way, Owen was her Advil. That would explain why she felt so much better when he was near. Maybe there would come a time when she'd have to face the world alone, but for now, she was willing to just sit back and enjoy her good fortune.


	50. Jurassic June

Henry sat quietly behind April as she stared out at the ocean. She was quite immobile, and that was how he knew she was deep in thought. It was incredible how much of himself he saw in her. She was like a smaller, purpler version of him, but if he was honest, he estimated that whatever she had been through was far worse than his own experience, and that was saying something. The worst part about the whole ordeal was that she had no one to talk to. Henry couldn't ask her about her troubles, or he'd be giving away the fact that he knew her true identity. Maybe he had to find another way to communicate with her. The only question was _how_.

"I don't see why we have to call her 'April'," Harry sneered as he waddled up beside his father, "Everyone knows she's June, so we're really only lying to accommodate _her_ needs, which she doesn't deserve."

Henry looked down uncomfortably.

"She wants to leave her old identity behind. Remember when she used to call you 'Butterball'? Right now, her old name feels like an insult."

"It is! I overheard Robin and Ellie talking about her while I was playing with Serena. June committed a series of murders-"

Henry placed his hand over Harry's mouth.

"Shhh. I know. But she's trying to be better. Sometimes, it takes a little compassion."

"I can't feel compassion for a monster."

Henry frowned.

"She's not a monster; she's a child, and I don't appreciate that kind of remark."

Harry growled bitterly.

"Dad, we can't keep her here. You don't know what it was like living with her."

"She can change."

"Not everyone can change."

"She can."

"How do you know?"

"Because I did."

They turned back to June. She hadn't moved an inch.

"You can continue to lie to yourself, but I'll have no part in this," Harry grumbled, "I'm through with being afraid. I hope you realize how wrong you are soon, or she'll-"

Henry gave him a warning glare. Harry shrunk away, but kept his sour expression.

"Fine. Let me know when she snaps."

As he stomped away, Henry considered talking to June. He wasn't really sure what he would say, but he could probably ease her into a civilized conversation. But how would he go about it?

 _Hello, June. Isn't the weather lovely today? By the way, I heard you massacred a tribe of hybrid dinosaurs . . ._

 _That's a nice flower you're wearing. It compliments your eyes. Speaking of which, I know you were blind for the majority of your life, because I was there when you set a giant pig-demon loose in Times Square._

Hm. Maybe it was best to keep quiet.

In any case, he wasn't about to go over now, because Seriama was making her way to where he was standing in her shy little way. He had learned to read her body language over the years, and he could tell that she was nervous about June. Why else would her scales be flickering with color? She certainly wasn't trying to put on a show.

"Henry."

"Seriama."

"Any change?"

"No. She's been sitting there all morning."

"Have you talked to her?"

"No. I don't want to slip up, or we could lose her again."

Seriama's scales began to ripple with confused patterns at his last words, indicating that she was incredibly fearful of the prospect. Henry leaned against her for comfort as she bit her lip.

"Oh, Henry, look at her. She's so alone. What can we do to help?"

"I don't know. What did we do with _me_?"

"You had friends to help you. Maybe we should find her a friend."

"A friend? Who?"

"Someone who doesn't know what she did. Someone patient."

"Robin has a lot of kids. Are any of them good candidates?"

"Well, the triplets are too old, Louis is always with Clover, Gussy is with her dilophosaur friend, Margalo is with Penelope's niece, Templeton is with Annabelle, and Serena is with Harry, which means she'll probably blab. All in all, Robin's children aren't really on the friendship market. Besides, they're getting to that age when they have other things on their minds . . ."

"So, we should get her a boyfriend?"

"Well, no. I'm not really sure what we can do at this point. Maybe we ought to take her off the island. There are plenty of dinosaurs in the world. None of them knows who she is."

Henry sighed.

"I think we ought to keep her on the island for now. We'll take things one step at a time."

Seriama nodded.

"Good idea. She'd be better off here, in any case."

Henry smiled.

"I think so too. Ellie is the one person I trust to reform and rehabilitate former villains."

Right on cue, a pachysaurolophus burst through the wall of a nearby building, shouting angrily.

"I refuse to make macramé owls like a goddamn sissy!"

Ellie leapt through the hole and tackled him fiercely.

"I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND HERE, VIC. GET YOUR FAT ASS BACK IN THE FUCKING CRAFTS ROOM OR I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND SHIT DOWN YOUR NECK."

Seriama blinked.

"Her techniques are certainly . . . interesting."

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay lifted her head and snorted drowsily as the sound of a slamming door woke her up. Ellie stormed into her office and sat down at her new desk, where a quill was writing on its own. She scanned the page, then took over the writing manually. After a few scribbles, she ran out of ichor and tossed the feather to the side, where Elkay batted at it playfully. Ellie pulled a large contour out of her wing and resumed the auto-narration.

"I'm getting real sick of his shit!"

"Whose?"

"Hoskins. He's been a pain in the ass ever since he got here!"

"I'll say! He nearly broke my leg the other day, only dragon bones don't break, so he mostly just rammed his head against me in an annoying fashion."

Ellie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"This is a disaster! It's one thing to take care of my own dinosaurs, but now I have hybrids running loose. That, and Claire's not doing so well . . ."

"Anything new?"

"She tried to saw her own horns off."

Elkay pulled her head back in surprise.

"Why?"

"Because humans don't have horns."

Elkay nodded.

"Sorry, Ellie. I know this is hard. If there's anything I can do to help that doesn't involve poop or children or social interaction, let me know."

Ellie shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Though it would be nice if you could help me redesign the stegocera-sink."

"I'm on it. Where's Mom, by the way?"

"The other world."

"Jurassic World?"

"No, the other _other_ world."

"Jurassic Park Slash-Slash-Slash?"

"No. And you can just say 'three'. I'm talking about Fiction headquarters."

"Ooh. Does that mean she's with-"

"Yes."

"And he's-"

"Yes."

"And they're going to-"

"Yes."

"Cool. Can I go back to sleep now?"

Ellie bit her lip.

"There's something I have to tell you."

She stood up and folded her hands together calmly.

"The next full story isn't coming out for a very long time."

"Why?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Ah. I have no idea what you're talking about, but I don't actually care. I need to get some sleep."

"What about the gap between novels?"

Elkay waved her paw dismissively.

"Fill it up with short stories or something. I'm sure we'll have lots of interesting stuff happen to us in . . . however long it's going to take . . ."

"Almost two decades."

Elkay laughed.

"Oh, that's nothing, Ellie. When you've been alive for as long as _I_ have, even centuries feel short. Don't sweat the small stuff. In the grand scheme, things will fall into place."

Ellie cringed as she heard a crash from outside.

"Tell that to Vic and his dome-head."

***TSJWFEW***

June liked her room very much. It was pink, cheerful, and completely opposite to anything she'd ever known. Everything in it belonged to her, yet she was still unfamiliar with her possessions. She had found a book under her bed called _A Little Princess_ , and she really wanted to read it. The only trouble was, she didn't know how to read. She wished that she had the courage to ask her father to read it to her, but she didn't want to inconvenience him.

Her favorite possession of all, however, was a small kitten. It wasn't real, of course, but June liked to pretend he was, anyway. She named the cat May, even though he was a boy. He was soft and white and wonderful to hug. June never took him outside, because she had seen what had happened to her brother's tiger. The animal was covered in sewn-up scars, mostly because he was worn down from being dragged everywhere. June would never let anything like that happen to May. She loved him more than anything in the world, even though he wasn't real.

"Good afternoon, May," June said pleasantly as she hopped up on her bed, "I went to see the ocean today. It's big and wavy. Dad says it's blue. I'm not really sure what he means by that, but I'm getting used to colors."

She ran her paw over May, but her claws made him dirty. She licked the grime off of him hurriedly, doing her best to preserve his snow-white coat.

"I'm going to see some more things when I go back out. I'll take a good look at them, then tell you all about it. Does that sound good?"

She made the cat nod with her paw.

"Great! I'll see you in a bit."

She slid off of the bed and pattered down the hall. Her grandmother was cooking something in the kitchen. It smelled like rice and some kind of bird. June smiled and snuck outside, hoping to play a little before lunch. Her father was snoozing in the field, his sail spread out lazily in the sun. June tiptoed over to him and draped herself over his arm. He must not have been completely zonked out, because he gave her a gentle hug. June closed her eyes and breathed deeply. It was easier to be with people when they were asleep, because they didn't ask questions or try to talk. They just sat there, dreaming about things that didn't exist, or perhaps just pretending to be asleep, though that was rarer. Sleep made contact easy, just like the magic flower-

- _which she wasn't wearing right now_.

June sat up in panic and bolted for the door, waking her father. He reached out to grab her, but she slithered away and barreled into the garage, pattering up the stairs at full force. She found her pink flower lying on the bedside table, and quickly stuck it to her head. Even though she had made it in time, she couldn't stop herself from tearing up at the close call. As she began to sniffle, she heard a knock at the door.

"April? Are you okay?"

Her father poked his snout through the door, and she quickly wiped away her tears.

"I saw a monster."

Her father reached forward and picked her up, rocking her back and forth in his arms.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry. What did the monster look like?"

"She looked like me."

Her father was quiet for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he asked feebly.

June lifted her head and stared into his eyes.

"Is it true that you have another daughter?"

"What? No . . . Oh, I mean . . . Yes."

He cleared his throat.

"I have a daughter named June."

"Do you love her?"

Her father bit his lip awkwardly and thought very hard. Finally, he took a deep breath and gave an answer that June found satisfactory.

"If she was as nice as you, I'm sure I'd love her."

***TSJWFEW***

It was around one o'clock in the morning when Elkay snuck into Ellie's room. She sat above her granddaughter for a moment, then yanked the covers away violently.

"Ah!"

"I know how we can help June."

Ellie shivered and reached for the blanket, draping it over Alan, who was snorting angrily beside her.

"Oh my god. You can't just come into my room like that."

"Yeah, but I figured out how to help June, and it couldn't wait until morning."

Ellie rubbed her eyes.

"Alright. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, Henry said that June needed a friend, and there aren't many dinosaurs here who trust her, so . . ."

Ellie groaned.

"Can you just get to the point?"

Elkay grinned.

"Walk with me. We're going to make a child's wish come true."

***TSJWFEW***

June didn't wake up on her own the next morning. Something was being dragged across her face repeatedly, and it felt like warm, wet sandpaper. Curious to discover what it was, June opened her eyes . . . and saw a live kitten staring down at her.

"Mew."

June gave an open-mouthed smile and hugged the pale cat.

"May! You're alive!"

The kitty looked up at her with big, blue eyes and started purring. June held her against her chest.

"I love you, May! I love you so much!"

With eager steps, she ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her family was waiting.

"May came alive last night! She's a real kitten now!"

They stared at the animal with wide eyes, unsure of how to react.

"Mew."

The kitten batted at June's flower, and she quickly held him away, lest he knock it off and reveal her true identity.

"Is that one of those electronic cats?" her grandmother asked.

"No, he's real!" June beamed, "He's a real live kitten, and he really likes me."

"Makes one of us," her brother muttered under his breath.

Her father gave a wide smile.

"That's fantastic, April. But you know you have to feed him, right?"

June nodded.

"Can I go down to the Visitors' Center and get him some meat?"

"Sure," her mother said gently, "But make sure that you look both ways when you cross the street, and if you get lost, find the nearest landmark and call us from there."

June nodded eagerly.

"I will! Thank you!"

She ran over and gave her parents a big hug.

"I love you!"

She left them in the kitchen, slightly startled, and placed the feline on her shoulders before galloping away.

***TSJWFEW***

Zara was having the time of her life. Not only had she mastered her swimming lessons, but her karate was coming along nicely too. She had to make some minor adjustments to her technique, of course, since she didn't have anything that resembled hands, but she was doing remarkably well, nonetheless.

When June came skipping down the road, however, she forgot all about her activities. The little spinosaurus made her antsy, because Zara knew that she was partly responsible for what had happened to her. She had been made aware of the sensitive situation surrounding the child, but denying the dinosaur's identity wasn't going to be easy.

To her surprise, the spinosaurus wasn't her usual stoic self, and appeared to be . . . happy. She skipped down the road with something small and white on her shoulders.

"What's that?" Zara asked, pointing to the ball of fur.

June picked up the creature, which turned out to be a cat, and held it out for Zara to see. As she leaned in for a better look, the kitten licked the front of her beak.

"He's cute. What are you gonna call him?"

"His name is May."

Zara raised her eyebrow.

"Isn't that a female name?"

June nodded.

"It is, but I like it anyway. We have to go get her food now. Goodbye!"

And just like that, she skipped away. Zara was relieved that she hadn't caused any trouble, but something about her sudden cheerfulness was very suspicious.

***TSJWFEW***

June was almost at the Visitors' Center. She had been worried about the Mozaradon's anxious air, but luckily, she was wearing the flower, which meant that she was safe.

With a merry click of her heels, June shimmied to the main road and placed her cat on the ground so that he could follow her inside the building. He looked up at her with his sparkling, azure eyes and mewed.

"Mew."

June smiled and nuzzled his side.

"You're my best friend, May."

"Mew," the cat said, cocking his head.

"Are you hungry?"

"Mew."

June trotted into the Visitors' Center with the cat close behind. On the way to the kitchen, she passed Ellie and Neithhotep's daughter.

"So, I told him he could have his arms back, but only if he uses them for good things. He's in a baking class right now, so we'll see how that goes."

They turned their heads as June skipped by. The dragon smiled and glanced at the kitten with a sneaky grin.

"What a lovely little kitty. He's probably deaf, you know. Whoever came up with that idea was probably a literary gen-"

"Or she doesn't have any compassion beyond the bare minimum," Ellie interrupted, "Keep an eye on the little tyke, sweetheart. He can't hear you, so make sure he's always in sight."

June nodded.

"I will."

She continued her journey, making her way to the meat locker. Once inside, she shivered and looked around for something a feline might want to eat.

"Do you like tuna, May?"

"Mew," the cat bleated.

"Maybe not. Sockeye salmon?"

She held out the tin for the cat to sniff, and he turned away in disgust.

"Okay . . . What about lutefisk? That's fish, right? Oh! Oh! Here's something: sturgeon. It sounds expensive, but I'm sure Ellie wouldn't mind if I took just one can . . ."

She turned to see a very fluffy tail slide through the door. June dropped the can and ran after her pet.

"May, come back! I'm getting you food!"

The cat padded through the kitchen, down the hall, and out the front door. June pursued him, whistling and calling out his name.

"May! Here, May! Come back and eat your fish!"

She caught sight of the cat licking his paw out in the middle of the road. June put her hands on her hips and scowled.

"May, don't be a bad kitty. You have to-"

 _HONK HONK._

A large truck came speeding down the road.

"MAY! LOOK OUT!"

June's eyes went wide as the kitten became caught up in the front wheels of the truck, then the back. What was left over was an absolute mess. June ran forward as the truck drove away, feeling tears streaming down her face.

"May! May! May!"

She knelt down beside the bloody pile of fur. When she turned the animal around, she saw that his skull was partly crushed. June sobbed and began licking his fur.

"Wake up, May . . . It's okay . . . I'm here . . ."

The cat did not respond. June sobbed into his fur, still trying to clean it.

"I'm sorry, May. I shouldn't have let you run off. This is all my fault . . ."

She lifted her head as she heard a terrified gasp. Her first thought was that someone was coming to help her. When she looked up, however, she saw her brother staring at her with horror.

"JUNE KILLED HER CAT!"

And that's when things fell apart. Before she knew it, Zara had scooted into the clearing. She screamed and called for help. June barely had time to slither away before Ellie arrived.

***TSJWFEW***

"April! . . . April! . . ."

Henry called out to his daughter as the sky grew dark. He was one of the last people to find out what had happened, but luckily, Ellie had already discovered that the cat's death was an accident by the time he was briefed. He quickly organized a search party for June, but unsurprisingly, no one volunteered. Seriama was at home watching Harry, and Ellie was having a discussion with Elkay, so it was up to Henry to find June.

"April! . . . April! . . ."

He heard something moving inside of an overturned log. Quickly, he bent down and stuck his snout inside . . . only to feel a set of claws scrape his scales. Quickly, he backed up and gave June some space.

"I know you didn't kill your cat."

The child sniffled.

"It doesn't matter. You know who I am."

Henry nodded.

"I always knew, but that doesn't mean anything. I love you, June, and I'm willing to invite you back into our family."

"They don't want me."

"They do. You should see your mother. She's a nervous wreck. And grandma's trying to find you a new cat."

"I don't deserve a new cat."

Henry reached forward and touched her shoulder.

"Come out, June. We miss you."

To his surprise, she did as she was told. She scampered forward and wrapped her arms around his leg, weeping openly. Henry rested his snout on her back as she cried.

"May is . . . May is gone . . ." she whimpered.

Henry nodded.

"I know, sweetie. It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

After a minute or two of crying, June allowed herself to be picked up. Henry draped her over his shoulder and carried her back to the garage. Once there, she darted up to her room immediately and closed the door. Henry sighed and sat down at the table, rubbing his temples with his longest claws.

"Henry! Was that June?" his mother asked as she burst through the door, "I think I've found her a pet. Billy and Buttercup are looking to get rid of their Siamese cat, and-"

Henry waved his claws.

"Thanks, Mom, but I don't think a new pet is going to solve anything."

She hummed.

"Well, sitting here sure isn't going to help. Why don't you talk to her?"

"She needs space . . ."

"Henry. Go."

He stood up, not wanting to argue with his mother. With a slight reluctance in his stride, he crept over to her room. He knocked on the door gently, then took a deep breath.

"June? Can we talk?"

When he pushed the door open, he was met with a horrifying sight. June's mattress was covered with blood, and several claws were piled up in the corner. June let the last claw drop from her mouth, then crawled away on mangled hands and feet. When she saw her father staring at her, she closed her eyes.

"Now they don't have to be afraid of me."

She didn't understand why he was crying.


	51. Masseusesaurus

Claire tapped her toes nervously as she stared at the long, winding road that cut through the field in front of her house. Several times, she didn't realize that she was holding her breath. Her anxiety was the direct result of an upcoming visit. She had decided that it would be wise to remove Barnaby's old junk from the basement, and she would need an extra set of hands to get the job done faster. As much as she would like to watch Owen moving boxes all day (and she really, _really_ would), she couldn't allow him to do all of the physical labor alone. They talked it through, and decided that they would have to inform someone about her situation. After careful consideration, they agreed that it was time to tell Karen the whole truth.

Claire was nervous about seeing her sister, especially since the last time they were together, she was at least five times skinnier and less . . . pointy. To make matters worse, Karen had told Zach and Gray that they were allowed to come with her to Tennessee, which Claire had not agreed to. She wasn't about to scold her sister, however, for fear that she'd tell someone about Claire's secret out of spite. She trusted Karen, but she also knew that she had a tendency to prattle on and on about things, sometimes putting her foot in her mouth when she got really offended. The only option, then, was to pray that everything would go according to plan. In any case, there was no turning back now . . . even though Claire had come up with a million excuses to do exactly that.

"What if I scare the kids?"

Owen, who had been picking his nails absentmindedly, looked up at her from the swing-bench.

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about _that_ , Claire. You don't look scary."

"I have big stabey things coming out of my head!"

"The technical term is 'horns', I think."

Claire scowled.

"Very funny. Whatever you call them, they look scary."

"But you won't use them."

"Doesn't matter. The kids probably have PTSD from the dinosaurs at Jurassic World. What if I send them into a catatonic state?"

"That won't happen."

"But I'm _terrifying_ , Owen!"

He chuckled and placed his hand on her horn.

"Claire, you give yourself too much credit. Zach is a brave kid, and Gray is smart enough to know that you're a herbivore."

"Vegetarian."

"Whatever. Listen, you're going to be fine. Just relax, okay?"

Claire bit her lip.

"What if a bee stings me and I panic and jump around and they think I'm a wild animal and they put me in a zoo and I get fed nothing but hay for the rest of my life?"

Owen blinked.

"Is that really the first theoretical situation you could come up with?"

"It's one of many."

They turned as they heard a car coming down the road. Claire didn't recognize it as Karen's vehicle, but it was entirely possible that she had lost it in the divorce. In any case, it was time to face the family. The car slowed to a stop out in the field, and the passengers began to file out one by one. Claire took a deep breath and prepared to step down from the porch.

"Oh god, what if-"

Owen flicked her on the nose.

"Claire. Relax."

"But they're going to be afraid, I just know it!"

Owen gave her a serious stare, then pushed her forward slowly. She began to move on her own, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. She didn't want to terrify the boys, especially when they had the power to disclose her secret and jeopardize her safety. As she made her way towards them, however, they didn't start screaming or running away. In fact, they burst out laughing.

"Oh my god! She's actually a dinosaur!" Zach sniggered.

"That's not a real dinosaur," Gray said seriously, "She's some kind of hybrid. Like the one that was chasing us."

"That looks _nothing_ like the one that was chasing us," Zach declared.

Owen gave Claire a mischievous smile.

"See? I _told_ you they wouldn't be scared."

The boys rushed forward to examine her. Claire shrunk away shyly.

"Can we pet her?" Gray asked Owen.

Just as Claire was shaking her head no, Owen said "Sure!". Before she could protest, Gray ran his hand over her snout like he was petting a horse.

"Wow, she's so warm . . ."

He laughed and hugged her face. Claire tossed her head as he started tickling her chin.

"Okay, that's enough."

Gray beamed enthusiastically.

"She talks!"

"Of course I talk!" Claire snapped, "Didn't your mother tell you _anything_?"

Karen jogged out from behind the car with two suitcases trailing behind her.

"I told them that you were a dinosaur, but that's about it."

Before Claire could scold her, Zach began to jimmy her horn like a door handle.

"This is pretty strong. You ever stab anyone with it?"

"No!" Claire exclaimed, "I mean, yes, but . . ."

Suddenly, Gray yanked open her mouth and stuck his head inside.

"Zach, look! She's under forty, because she doesn't have any stars on her teeth yet."

Claire pulled away (taking care not to bite his head off) and coughed.

"I'm only thirty, Gray, and-"

Her eyes went wide as Zach began to fiddle with her plates, folding them in and out like they were origami.

"These things are cool. What do you use them for?"

Claire fluttered her plates rapidly to shoo him away. Zach stepped backwards in panic.

"Look, kids, I know you're interested in . . . _me_ . . . but I'd like to remind you that I'm still the same aunt that-"

She froze as Gray hopped up on her back.

"Giddyup!"

"You have exactly three seconds to get off of me."

Gray pouted and slid down her shoulder.

"Why can't you be fun, Aunt Claire?"

Owen scooted between them with a playful smile.

"Hey, kids. Do you wanna see a neat trick?"

Gray nodded eagerly, and Zach looked up from his phone. Owen knelt down and began to tickle Claire's side. She shrieked with laughter and rolled onto her back. Owen climbed up on top of her and scratched her belly. Her right leg began spasming uncontrollably.

"That's so cool!" Gray beamed, "She's just like a puppy!"

Claire mooed abruptly and flung Owen off. She quickly stood up and shook the torn-up grass from her sides.

"I'm not a dog. I'm your Aunt Claire. I haven't changed one bit since we last saw each other."

Zach scoffed.

"Well, it sure _looks_ like you've changed to me . . ."

Karen cuffed him on the arm.

"ZACH! Ignore him, Claire, he's just being a teenager."

Claire nodded, but she couldn't help but feel a little offended. Without warning, Zach whipped out his phone and took a picture of her.

"Zach! This has to be confidential!" she gasped.

"I know. I need a new contact photo."

"Just use the old one!"

"Can't. It was on the other phone."

Karen slapped his arm again and took the phone from his hands, deleting the picture. He rolled his eyes and snatched his phone back, shoving it in his pocket resentfully. Meanwhile, Gray was running his hands along Claire's side, poking her at random intervals.

"How many scales do you have?"

"I've never counted," Claire replied flatly.

Karen pulled him back by his collar.

"I'm sorry, Claire. They're just curious. It's not every day you find out that your aunt is a . . . what did you call yourself?"

"Stegoceratops."

With this, both Zach and Gray began laughing like hyenas. Claire pouted slightly, then backed away, giving a plaintive moo. Karen noticed her distress and gave the boys a warning glare. They stopped laughing. What followed was a period of awkward silence. To dissolve the tension, Owen clapped his hands and pointed to the cabin.

"Who's hungry?"

***TSJWFEW***

After a very awkward lunch, the group split up to do separate tasks. Owen gave Karen a tour of the ranch, while Zach listened to music in his guest room and Gray played his DS on the living room carpet. Claire was supposed to be keeping an eye on the latter, but it was rather difficult, since he was being very boring. Although he didn't budge an inch, he kept glancing over to the couch where she was sitting. When they made eye contact, he'd look away, pretending that he hadn't been staring at her in the first place. She knew that he was itching to ask her questions, but Gray was now aware that she was sensitive about her condition. He wasn't doing a very good job of concealing his interest, however, so Claire decided to allow a controlled discussion.

"You can ask me questions," she said quietly.

"I don't want to, if they make you upset."

Claire took a deep breath.

"I won't get upset."

Gray smiled and sat down beside her, folding up his electronic device.

"How heavy are you?"

Oh, for the love of god! Of all the questions he could have asked . . .

"I'm less than three tons," Claire replied vaguely.

"But how many pounds?"

Claire sighed.

"A lot."

"What is your beak made of?"

Claire blinked.

"It's made of . . . beak . . ."

He ran his hand over it.

"It feels like a bird beak, but all the other dinosaurs have wrinkly beaks."

"I don't really know-"

"Do your plates collect heat?"

Claire shrugged.

"Maybe. I mostly just use them to fly."

Gray's eyes went as wide as snowballs.

"You can _fly_?"

Claire nodded.

"For short periods of time. It's really exhausting, and I don't do it often."

"How fast can you swing your thagomizer?"

"Fast enough to get it stuck in wood."

"How long is your tongue?"

"Long enough to reach apples on the tree in the backyard."

"What do you eat?"

"Apples. From the tree in the backyard."

"Have you ever fought predators?"

"Yes."

"Did you win?"

"Kind of."

Suddenly, Gray leaned forward and hugged her around the neck.

"Aunt Claire, you're so cool!"

As she returned the hug, she couldn't help but get a little misty-eyed. She quickly blinked away the tears as Gray opened his DS again.

"I named a Pokémon after you."

"Oh, sweetheart, that's so-"

He showed her the screen, and her face fell.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a Bastiodon. I got her from a fossil."

"You can't get DNA from fossils, only amber."

"Amber gets you an aerodactyl."

Claire snuffed.

"Gray, don't you think it would be better if you used something that wasn't so . . . _ugly_?"

Gray shrugged.

"I was going to get a Deerling, but they aren't in this game. I got it from my cousin, so-"

Claire waved her front foot.

"You know what? It's fine. Just leave it."

They turned as the screen door slid open. Owen and Karen stepped through.

"Hey, Claire. I showed her all of the buildings. Do you want to get started on the cleaning now?"

Claire nodded.

"Sure. Seems like a good idea. We might need to get some gloves from the shed."

Karen nodded and turned to Gray.

"Don't play too much gameboy, okay? I'm going to help Aunt Claire clean out the basement, but until we've sorted everything out, don't go down there. The last person who lived here was a lunatic, so there might be some dangerous trinkets lying around. If you get bored, go play outside, but don't wander too far-"

Gray lifted his hands.

"Mom, I know."

She patted his head and turned towards the door.

"I'm going to get some supplies from the shed. If you need anything, just shout."

Gray nodded.

"I will."

His mother gave him a serious look.

"Remember: don't go in the basement."

"I won't."

***TSJWFEW***

Five minutes later, Zach and Gray were in the basement. They stared at the strange collection of junk that lined the walls, utterly fascinated. There were multicolored jam jars, old car parts, and more dead, stuffed animals than anyone should ever have. These particular displays were rather frightening, as whomever had prepared the animals didn't do a good job of making them look lifelike. They had eyes going in opposite directions, deformed faces, and crooked mouths.

"Whoah. Check _this_ one out . . ." Zach said, pointing to an immobile badger.

Suddenly, the display came to life. It growled and launched itself at Zach, who ducked out of the way. Gray screamed as it tried to maul his shoes. The two boys ran across the basement with the badger in hot pursuit. They looked for somewhere to escape to, but the maze of junk ended abruptly. In desperation, Zach opened an old refrigerator and pushed Gray inside, only to be dragged in as well, falling facedown in a frosty, white material. The door closed behind them just as the badger made a leap for their throats.

"That was close . . ." Gray sighed.

Just as Zach was beginning to wonder why the fridge was so large on the inside, he realized that he was not just feeling the frozen wall-linings of the apparatus, but rather, actual snow. When he looked up, he saw a wintery clearing, complete with massive pines and leafless trees. At the center of the grove was an old-fashioned lamppost, and standing beneath it was a very strange creature. He trotted towards them on cloven hooves and smiled.

"Welcome to Shmarnia."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen dragged a large box into the family room and smiled eagerly.

"I know you want to clean out the old junk from the basement, but I brought you some things from home. I don't mean to add to the pile of trash, but I've been keeping this tucked away in my attic for when you had a family of your own, so . . ."

She grinned and opened the box.

"Here's a copy of the family photo album, so you can remember the crazy things we used to do together. I even made themed segments!"

She handed the album to Owen, who had a better chance of turning pages than Claire. He smiled at the old family photos, until he reached the part labeled "teen years".

"Oh my god. I've never seen so many different scrunchies on one person."

Claire coughed and closed the album.

"It was leftover glam from the eighties. I'm sure you did similar things."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"I've never worn scrunchies . . ."

Karen handed them a stack of VHS tapes.

"I mostly brought these for the nostalgia, but I noticed that the former occupant left an old machine, so you could probably watch some of them if you want."

Claire went through the movies one by one. Winnie the Pooh . . . Jaws . . . A Christmas Carol . . . King Lear (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) . . .

Karen grinned sneakily as she reached for the next item.

"Claire, there's someone here who wants to see you . . ."

She pulled out a pink pony.

"Lickety-Split!" Claire gasped.

She held the pony in her front feet, nuzzling it gently.

"I thought I lost her in the big move."

"Nope. She was hiding with Merriweather."

Karen pulled out a purple pony that was covered in rainbows. Owen couldn't stop himself from sniggering.

"We used to play with these ponies all the time," Claire explained, "Lickety-Split was mine, and Merriweather belonged to Karen."

Karen laughed.

"Claire would always boss me around because she was older. We had these imaginary worlds . . . God, it was so cute, but Claire wanted things _her_ way. She let me be a princess, but she always had to be a queen."

With these words, Claire's face fell. She looked at the pony pensively before placing it on the coffee table.

"A lot has changed since then."

***TSJWFEW***

Zach and Gray followed the faun through the woods, shivering with cold.

"So, you said this place is called 'Shmarnia'?" Gray asked, "Isn't that awfully close to Narnia?"

"Narnia?" the faun echoed, "Never heard of it."

Zach narrowed his eyes.

"I find that pretty hard to believe. Are you saying that you've never heard of this book series that just happens to parallel your world?"

The faun shrugged.

"Sorry, no. Must be a coincidence."

"What's your name?" Gray asked.

"Mr. Shmumnus."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire lumbered down to the basement sullenly. Karen didn't know what had set off her gloomy mood, but she was eager to snap her out of it. She decided to get started on the cleaning, as it could potentially distract Claire from whatever was bothering her.

"I don't think there are many treasures down here, since Barnaby was a complete quack, but if there's anything that even remotely resembles something an actual human being could use, let me know."

As Claire and Karen started rummaging through the mess, Owen examined a poorly-preserved bobcat. The animal had wide, staring eyes and a lopsided grin. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"There's some crazy shit down here . . ."

He jumped in terror as Karen screamed. He ran over to where she was standing, expecting to see some sort of dead body or jar full of eyeballs, but instead, she held up a large box and grinned from ear to ear.

"Do you guys know what this is?!"

Owen's eye twitched.

"Something good? . . ."

"It's a foot-spa!"

Owen blinked.

"What."

Karen rolled her eyes.

"Look! You put your feet inside, and there's jets-"

"How do they fit a whole . . . oh, you mean _water_ jets."

Both Karen and Claire turned to stare at Owen sardonically.

"Are you sure you want to keep him?" Karen asked.

***TSJWFEW***

Zach leaned forward on a quaint table, addressing two sentient muskrats.

"So, this ruler of your world-"

"Kaleesh-Atin."

"Yes, him. So, he just leaves you here to suffer under the rule of the Wan Wizard without even assigning a new government? . . ."

"Yes, but our ruler is coming back!" Mr. Muskrat said cheerfully.

Both Zach and Gray gave him an incredulous look.

"But . . . he left you . . ."

"But our ruler is coming back to fight for us!" Mrs. Muskrat whooped in a slightly uncomfortable tone of voice.

"You shouldn't ignore the fact that he left you just because he's coming back," Gray said, "You sound like a dissatisfied housewife."

Zach gave him a questioning look.

"I heard Mom talking to Margaret the other day," he explained.

***TSJWFEW***

Karen lifted Claire's front foot out of the foot-spa device and replaced it with the other. She dried off her toenails and shook a bottle of nail polish friskily.

"This will brighten up your feet a little. You already have a pretty nice color, though . . ."

Claire sighed.

"Shouldn't we be helping Owen?"

"He said he's fine. I think he likes doing the heavy lifting."

Right on cue, Owen came trotting down the stairs. Claire watched as he bent over and picked up a box of soggy sawdust. When he was out of earshot, Karen turned to Claire with a coy smile.

"You have that look in your eye . . ."

Claire pulled her head back.

"Look? What look? I have no look!"

Karen smiled sneakily.

"You're attracted to him."

"I should hope so, considering we're living together."

Karen twisted her mouth.

"Do you guys . . . you know . . ."

After a moment, Claire shook her head.

"He probably wouldn't want to."

Karen shrugged.

"I dunno. Men are pretty gross. They're attracted to anything with a pulse."

Claire bit her lip.

"I'm not sure I'd want to, either. I don't exactly have a lot of self-esteem right now, so I'd probably end up imagining that I was someone else."

Karen laughed.

"Claire, you are a riot. Have you tried talking to him?"

"No. It's a little scary. I'm worried that if I explain to him why I'm unattractive, he'll realize that I have a point and dump me."

Karen frowned sadly.

"Don't be so negative. He probably likes you just the way you are."

"But I don't want to risk it. I'd like to stay with him for as long as possible. He's . . . He's kind of all I have left from . . . from before."

Karen bit her lip and stopped painting Claire's nails. She waited until her sister was facing her again before proceeding with the conversation.

"Claire, you still have your family. Don't think that Owen is the only person who supports you. I may not know what you're going through, but I'm with you every step of the way."

Claire smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Karen."

With a satisfied hum, Karen finished painting her nails and blew on them gently.

"Do you want another layer?"

Claire scoffed bitterly.

"It won't make a difference."

Karen frowned, placing the bottle to the side.

"Claire . . . Do you want to talk?"

She shook her head.

"No, Karen, I don't think I do. Every time I try to think about things, I end up coming to the same conclusion. I'm fat and ugly and I'd be better off dead."

Karen hugged her face.

"Don't say those things, Claire. It's just gonna take some getting used to. Remember when you bought that blouse that itched at the back, and-"

"Karen, this isn't an article of clothing. I have a new body, and it's the worst possible body to have."

Karen made a noncommittal noise. Claire sighed and looked at her painted nails.

"I may as well take this off. I'll just end up looking stupid."

Before she could peel the paint away, Karen put her hand over her pudgy arm and gave her a serious look.

"Maybe the solution isn't going to be fixed by painting your nails . . ."

Claire cocked her head and frowned suspiciously.

"What are you saying?"

"We have to try harder."

***TSJWFEW***

Zach and Gray were led to the rebel camp, where the mythical hero was waiting. To their surprise, _he_ was a _she_ , and _she_ was a _dragon_.

"Hello! I am the mythical Kristine, though you were introduced to me through a strange misnomer. Actually, that's not the right term, but I enjoy using big words to impress mortals."

Gray frowned.

"You're a dragon."

"And you're very observant," the dragon sassed.

Zach stepped forward.

"Listen, dragon-lady, we just want to go home."

She gave a snorting laugh.

"Too bad. You have to fight in a war now. Take this."

She handed him a battle axe.

"Are you ready to fight creatures that are ugly and therefore evil in the eyes of Shmarnia?"

"No."

"The battle is tomorrow. Go train or something."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen grunted as she scrubbed Claire's side with a bristly brush. She had ordered her sister to stand in the massive bathtub, which she proceeded to fill with every soap imaginable.

"This will . . . exfoliate . . . your scales . . ." Karen gasped between breaths, "You'll be . . . soft and smooth . . . in no time . . ."

Claire gave a guilty moo.

"Karen, I don't think we can fix this. I'm destined to be repulsive. I'm surprised I don't already smell like a barn."

"Do you want Owen to like you or not?"

"I do, but I don't think-"

Karen shrieked as she tripped over Claire's tail, which was hanging out of the tub. She fell into the foamy water and resurfaced with dripping mascara.

"Oh my god!" Claire gasped.

"It's fine. I'm fine. We're fine. Just give me your hand."

"Foot."

"Your foot isn't going to help."

"No, I mean, my hand is a foot. That's the correct term."

Karen stood up, her clothing dripping with suds.

"Claire, I don't care what you call your body parts. Just help me out of here."

Claire did as she was told. As Karen reached for a towel, she sighed pensively and played with the water a bit.

"Owen calls them hands, too."

Karen didn't reply, because she was dabbing her eyes.

"I think he might be in denial," Claire continued, "I mean, what if he still sees me as a human being?"

"Then you're very lucky," Karen grumbled, "But men are pigs. They'd stick it in anything, I swear."

Claire cocked her head.

"Karen, are you upset about your divorce?"

She flung the mascara-stained towel to the ground.

"He's trying to hide his income by buying paintings!" she growled, "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!"

Claire stepped out of the tub and shook herself off. She gave her sister a hug.

"I'm really sorry, Karen. I wish I could help."

"Can you stab him with your horns for me?"

Claire shook her head.

"No . . ."

Suddenly, her face lit up.

"But I think I know how to make you feel better."

***TSJWFEW***

Gray sobbed over the dead body of the yellow dragon.

"This is all my fault."

Zach looked up from his phone.

"Nah. I'm the one who made a deal with the Wan Wizard."

Gray sniffled.

"Now we'll never get home!"

Suddenly, the dragon sprung to her feet and smiled.

"Surprise! I'm not dead!"

"Ah!"

Zach stumbled backwards, falling on his posterior.

"What the hell?!"

"There's this ancient prophecy that says if I give my life for another person, I get to come back," the dragon explained, "I'm such a hero . . ."

Gray frowned thoughtfully.

"But . . . if you knew you were coming back, doesn't that invalidate your charity?"

The dragon scoffed.

"Well, uh, there wasn't a one-hundred percent chance that I'd come back. I, like, didn't know for sure . . ."

Zach frowned.

"Whatever. Can we just get back to saving Shmarnia?"

The dragon nodded.

"Of course. But first, I need to breathe on a bunch of statues."

Gray blinked.

"Well, if you think that will help . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire and Karen were sitting peacefully on the porch. They were both wearing mud-masks, and had sliced cucumbers placed over their eyes. They listened to the crickets chirping in the springtime heat, breathing deeply in a relaxed manner. Claire heard footsteps approaching her, and deduced that it must be Owen. She didn't expect that he'd try to eat her cucumbers, however.

"Ah! Owen! Those are for my eyes!"

He licked her cheek, then gagged.

"Ew! I thought that was chocolate . . ."

Claire frowned sardonically.

"Why on earth would I put chocolate on my face?"

"I dunno. I don't understand women."

Karen peeled off her cucumbers and looked around.

"Did you happen to come across Zach and Gray?"

Owen shook his head.

"No, but I'm sure they're keeping themselves entertained."

***TSJWFEW***

Zach swung his axe, chopping off a gnome's head in a splash of blood and-

***TSJWFEW***

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," Karen said, "Are you done cleaning out the basement?"

Owen nodded.

"I didn't find anything useful, unfortunately. I did, however, come across several jars that are probably filled with earwax, or something that looks a lot like earwax."

Claire cringed.

"Yuck. Do you need any help?"

Owen smiled.

"Naw, I'm pretty much done. I just need to haul some of this junk over to my truck so I can drive it down to the dump."

Claire began to stand up.

"I'll help-"

Owen pushed her back down and smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Claire. I don't want to interrupt your . . . uh . . . woman thing."

Karen smiled.

"He's so thoughtful. You've chosen well, Claire. Mom would be proud."

They smiled and held hands (or feet, in Claire's case). As Owen turned away, abashed by their personal moment, he caught sight of two frazzled boys running towards them.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!" Gray called, "You'll never guess what-"

The boys screamed in terror as she looked at them with her paste-covered face. Owen laughed lightly, then wandered away so that they could have a family discussion.

"Where have you two _been_?" Karen asked sternly.

Zach shrugged.

"Nowhere."

"We were in a magical world!" Gray beamed, "There were gnomes and muskrats and harpies-"

"Oh, my!" Claire smirked, "Sounds like an adventure."

Gray shook his head quickly.

"I'm not making this up! We were actually in a magical fridge-world! There was this dragon, and she said that we could stay until we were old, but I thought that might be irresponsible, since you told us to be back by supper-"

Karen held up her hand.

"Alright, that's enough sugar for you . . ."

Gray stomped his foot.

"Really! I can prove it! The fridge-"

He was cut off by the sound of a motor. They all turned to see Owen driving away in his truck. The fridge was sitting in the back, ready to be dropped off at the nearest dump.

"Oh, poo," Gray huffed.

***TSJWFEW***

When Owen got back from his trip, they all had dinner as a family. It didn't even feel forced or unnatural: they just did what people usually do. Of course, Zach and Gray giggled a bit when Claire got a sprig of parsley stuck in her beak, but other than that, it was smooth sailing.

After dinner, Owen washed the dishes, and Claire stood by him for moral support. She felt guilty for not pitching in, but Owen assured her that he didn't want her to ruin her nails . . . even though the real reason probably had to do with the fact that she was like a bull in a china shop. She was flattered that he'd noticed, nonetheless.

The best part of the night, however, came when Gray shuffled over to his aunt, DS in hand. He held up the screen to show her "Claire the Bastiodon".

"I've been feeding her blue poffins," he announced, expecting Claire to understand what he was on about.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"She's at maximum beauty."

Claire squinted.

"She doesn't look any different."

"Beauty doesn't show up on the visual display."

Claire nodded slowly.

"So, you're saying that she's beautiful on the inside? . . ."

Gray shrugged.

"Well, it's more of a statistic-"

Claire cut him off by giving him a big hug.

"Sounds good to me."

She squeezed him gently, then let him go, ruffling his hair.

"What do you say we go for a ride?"

"In the car?"

"Nope."

She scooped him up with her tail and placed him on her shoulders. With a jolly moo, she cantered out the front door.

"Wheeeeeeeee!" Gray cheered.

Owen smiled as he watched them running across the lawn from the kitchen window. He leaned forward and sighed happily.

"I'm proud of you, Clairebear."


	52. Badger Badger Badger

Eventually, Karen and the boys had to go home. There wasn't much fuss from Claire's side, but Gray cried a little bit. When Karen reassured him that he'd see his aunt soon, he brightened up, and promised to bring more carrots next time so that Claire wouldn't go hungry. Zach, in turn, promised to buy her "a saddle or something", which got him a quick slap from his mother. Owen was sad to see them go, as they had momentarily distracted Claire from her unfortunate situation. On the other hand, the boys wouldn't stop talking about that magical world of theirs, so it would be beneficial for them to return to an urban setting and forget about their fantasies. Owen wasn't sure what Gray meant by the phrase "Zach was flirting with fauns", but that kind of escapism didn't seem healthy.

In any case, they didn't have to worry about being lonely, because Barry decided to stay over for a brief period of time. Of course, since he was Owen's friend, Claire rarely participated in their bonding activities. It wasn't that much of a hindrance, however, as she had taken up the job of repainting the barn. All Owen had to do was open a couple buckets and tie a brush to her horn, and she was set for the day. This gave him a lot of free time, which he used to investigate certain unusual occurrences.

"Every day, Claire leaves the house at exactly eight o'clock, and returns ten minutes later," he explained as Barry sipped his coffee, "I don't know what she's doing out there, but I've compiled a list of possibilities."

He handed Barry a sheet of paper that had bullet points such as "love affair", "secret agent", and "ALIENS?". Barry took one look at it and laughed.

"Owen, you're overthinking this. I know we're friends, but I feel it necessary to point out that sometimes you can be a moron."

Owen frowned.

"Well, what's _your_ theory?"

Barry gave a cunning smile.

"Owen, what's something that people do almost every day?"

Owen's eyes went wide.

"But she doesn't even have hands . . ."

Barry slapped his forehead.

"No, not _that_. Something else."

Owen rubbed his chin.

"Is she eating?"

Barry shook his head.

"No, Owen. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

Owen stared at him for a long time. When he realized what he meant, his jaw dropped.

"You think she's _pooping_?"

Barry nodded.

"Most likely. I mean, have you ever seen her go to the bathroom in the house?"

"No . . . That makes so much sense, though. It also explains why she brings a new roll of toilet paper every once in a while."

They sat quietly, deep in thought. After a moment, Owen frowned.

"Barry, do you know what this means?"

"I get the feeling you're about to tell me."

"She schedules her poops. She's literally so organized that she has timed her biological functions to suit her needs."

Barry laughed.

"Sounds like Claire, alright. I'll never understand why you two get along so well."

Owen shrugged.

"I think we complete each other. Claire encourages me to be less loosey-goosey, and I convince her to have fun every now and then. It's a win-win situation."

"I think she has a negative effect on you."

"Why's that?"

"You just used the term 'loosey-goosey', for one thing . . ."

Owen smiled.

"Well, I don't really mind. I've been wanting to settle down for a while now. I might even start wearing sweaters."

Barry cringed.

"Owen, this isn't _you_. Don't you miss being reckless and free?"

Owen shook his head.

"After what Claire and I went through, I've had enough adventure to last me a lifetime. Recently, I've decided what's really important in life. I want to be there for my family and friends. A person can't be a lone wolf forever."

"Is this because of your fa-"

Owen stood up quite suddenly.

"Barry, I told you never to bring that up again. It's in the past, okay?"

"You can't run from your problems."

"I'm not."

"It still bothers you."

"I'm fine," Owen hissed through clenched teeth.

They both jumped in surprise as Claire burst through the door, her horn-brush dripping all over the place. Judging by the panicked look on her face, she had some bad news to deliver.

"We have a problem."

***TSJWFEW***

Barry, Claire, and Owen stood by a deep tunnel that ran all the way under the barn. They bent down to get a better look inside, but it was too dark to see.

"Are you sure there's something down there?" Barry asked.

Claire nodded vigorously.

"I saw it with my own two eyes."

"You might be mistaken."

"I . . . I can also smell it," Claire admitted.

Barry rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know . . . There doesn't seem to be anything down there now."

Claire frowned.

"I know what I saw, Barry."

Owen stepped between them.

"Alright, let's not get testy. I'm sure Claire saw something, even if that 'something' is no longer around. Given the area we live in, I wouldn't be surprised if it's dangerous. Barry, why don't you go into town and buy some rat poison or something?"

He nodded in response and jogged away. Owen turned to Claire.

"While he's out, we'll stand guard and see what lives in the hole."

"It's probably a badger. Could be a whole cete."

Owen blinked.

"Cete?"

"You know: a cete of badgers."

Owen hummed.

"Interesting. Do you think they're left over from when Barnaby was living here?"

"Undoubtedly."

Owen frowned forebodingly.

"That makes them all the more dangerous. While we're waiting for Barry, why don't we see if we can 'off' the resident on our own?"

"Good idea. Grab your rifle."

***TSJWFEW***

They waited behind a small shrub for a solid half hour. Owen had brought a bag of grapes to their hiding place so that they wouldn't go hungry (something of an impossible endeavor, as Claire was always hungry these days). They took turns feeding them to each other. Claire used her beak to pick up the fruit, giving Owen an excellent excuse to kiss her. When the food ran out, Owen stood up to get more.

"Wait! Sit down!" Claire whispered, pointing to the field.

A plump, fluffy shape was waddling over to the barn. As it drew near, it became clear that it was a badger.

"Ha! I knew it!" Claire boasted, "Do you think you can hit it from here?"

In a split second, Owen lifted his gun and fired. The badger was knocked off of its feet.

"Yes," he replied simply.

They wandered over to the body. Claire grabbed a fallen branch in her beak and poked the carcass tenderly. She spat out the stick.

"It's dead."

"I know. I never miss."

Owen grabbed Claire's discarded branch and used it to roll the badger onto its back. After a brief examination, he gave a curt nod.

"She's a sow."

"Sow?"

"A female."

"I know what sows are!"

Owen grabbed a garbage bag from his back pocket.

"Well, we'd better get rid of her before the vultures start circling . . ."

They froze as a quiet squeal came from inside the hole. Cocking their heads to listen, they leaned in cautiously. Owen shook his head, thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him, but another squeak came, louder this time. Owen reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. When he shone the light in the hole, two small, pink shapes became visible. Although they were covered in fuzz and couldn't open their eyes, there was no doubt that they were baby badgers.

***TSJWFEW***

When Barry got back from town, he carried a bag of rat poison over to where Claire and Owen were hiding.

"Alright, I got your-"

"Shhh!" Owen hissed, "Change of plan: we're waiting for the father to come back."

"Father?"

"There are babies," Claire explained, "Owen killed the mother-"

"You _told_ me to kill the mother."

"Because I didn't know she was a mother!"

Barry rolled his eyes.

"What do I do with the poison?"

"I don't care. Put it in the shed," Owen huffed.

Barry frowned sourly, but did as he was told. Owen and Claire continued to watch the den, waiting for the other parent to return.

"I don't think he's coming," Claire said fretfully, "What if he smells the leftover blood?"

Owen's lip twitched slightly.

"It wasn't my fault."

"I'm not blaming you."

"He left on his own. I had nothing to do with it."

Claire sighed.

"I know. But we have to get rid of the babies now."

"Do we _have_ to?" Owen asked quietly.

"They're pests. They'll grow up and get into our garbage or bite us or do badger things."

"But they're just kits now."

"They won't always be."

Owen closed his eyes and sighed.

"Fine. Find me a bag. I'll drop them in the river."

As Claire lumbered away, Owen crept over to the den. He turned on his flashlight and looked inside. The kits were snuggled up against each other. Reaching forward with a small segment of the garbage bag wrapped around his hand for protection, he scooped up the babies and placed them on the grass. One of them mewed, but the other was absolutely still. Owen nudged it, but it soon became clear that it was dead. He wanted to believe that it had died because of some sort of unexpected illness, but in his heart, he knew that the kit had starved without its mother's milk. He picked up the remaining infant and held it in his palm, letting the garbage bag flutter to the ground. The animal squeaked, then opened its mouth, revealing tiny teeth, no larger than thorns. Owen bit his lip guiltily.

"I found a bag!" Claire called as she came running over with a burlap sack draped over her horn.

"Great . . ." Owen wheezed nervously, "One of them is already dead, so . . ."

Claire screeched to a halt.

"Ew, Owen! Don't hold it without gloves! You're going to catch rabies or something."

"I know. Quit bothering me."

Claire huffed.

"Geez, you're testy. And the correct term is ' _badgering_ '. Now, are you going to kill it or not?"

Owen looked down at the baby badger. Before he could decide, a white hawk soared down from the sky and snatched it out of his hands. He was about to shoo the bird away, but she spoke to him.

"We've had enough cute animals die this week. I'll give the kit to Humphrey. He's gentle, and I doubt that he'll turn down a poor, innocent creature."

Owen nodded.

"Thanks, Ellie. Make sure nothing happens to her on the way back, okay?"

Ellie gave him a serious look.

"It wasn't your fault he left."

Owen sighed.

"Yeah, I figured that the badger must have-"

"You know what I mean."

Owen watched the bird fly away, disintegrating into thin air like magic. Claire gave him a questioning look.

"What did she mean by that?"

Owen glanced to the side evasively.

"Nothing. Well, something. I really don't wanna talk about it."

It was unclear whether Claire had even the faintest idea what he was prattling on about, but she leaned against him for comfort. He ran his hand over her frill and sighed.

"I guess we'd better find Barry."

"I guess so. Do you want to talk?"

"Not particularly."

"Will you be okay?"

"Eventually."

"Do you need anything?"

"If I do, I don't know what it is."

"I understand. I'm here for you."

"Thanks."


	53. Sick

"Ah- _CHOO_!"

Owen had never before awoken to the sensation of a large hybrid dinosaur projectile-sneezing mucus all over his face, but he decided very quickly that he didn't particularly enjoy it.

"Oooooooooh . . . I think I'm sick . . ." Claire groaned.

Owen, who hadn't moved since the snot hit his face, blinked.

"I think so."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen came back from town with no less than fifteen bottles of medicine. They weren't even different brands: he just wanted to make sure that he had enough to accommodate Claire's body size. When he jogged up to their room with a beaker of DayQuil, he found her lying on her side, breathing heavily. There was snot lining her nostrils and foam dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were vacant and glazed over. All in all, she wasn't looking good.

"Claire?"

"Oweeeeeen . . . I love you . . ."

He sat down beside her, frowning in confusion.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm going to die."

Owen's eyes went wide. He put his hand on her forehead and looked into her eyes.

"Claire, what's wrong? What do you have?"

"Common . . . cold . . ."

Owen sighed with relief.

"Hardly anyone dies from the common cold. I mean, it happens, but-"

"I'm a dinosaur. When dinosaurs got sick at Jurassic World, we had professional vets look at them. Even then, we lost a lot of assets . . ."

She coughed.

"I'm a goner."

Owen put his forehead against hers.

"I won't let you die, Clairebear. You can beat this. It's just a cold. And I think you're being just a little dramatic."

She opened her mouth, making a raspy rumbling sound. Her tongue lifted slightly, then sank.

"L- . . . Love you."

Owen smiled and patted her cheek.

"I'm going to make you some soup."

"Don't bother. Will die soon."

"You need your strength. Don't give up, okay?"

Claire mooed.

"Good," Owen said with false satisfaction, "I'll be back in two minutes."

***TSJWFEW***

When Owen climbed back up the stairs with a bowl of soup in his hands, Claire was crawling across the floor. Her plates were hanging limply, and she was mostly pulling herself forward with her front legs. Her mouth was hanging open lazily.

"Claire! Get back in bed!"

"Must die outside. You can't carry body."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Claire, you're not dying."

"Mooooooooo . . ."

Owen placed the bowl of soup on the ground and lifted her head. He tried to drag her across the floor by her horns, but she wouldn't budge.

"I'm too faaaaaaaaat . . ."

Owen let go of her, falling backwards.

"Fine. But I'm feeding you the soup."

He lifted the spoon and held it beside her mouth. After a moment, she opened her beak.

"There . . . good . . ." Owen cooed.

He gave her another spoonful, then another, then another. When the soup was gone, Owen rubbed her snout.

"How do you feel?"

"Gross."

Owen smiled.

"You're never gross."

He kissed her beak.

"Don't do that. You'll get sick," Claire moaned.

"I don't mind. Are you feeling any better?"

"No . . ."

He kissed her again.

"How about now?"

Claire opened her mouth, but instead of speaking, she drooled slightly and made a gurgling sound.

"Is that a yes?" Owen asked.

Suddenly, she sneezed, sending both saliva and mucus flying all over the room. Owen coughed, as his mouth had been open during the event.

"Sorry . . ." Claire muttered.

Owen's lip twitched as wet boogers dripped off of his mustache.

"It's . . . fine . . ."

He wiped his face and went back to rubbing her snout. She moaned and mooed miserably, giving the occasional cough.

"Owen . . ."

"I'm here."

" _Owen_ . . ."

"What?"

Claire stood up shakily.

"This isn't a cold."

"What? Why not?"

Claire stumbled over to the window.

"Because I'm about to- BLAAAAAAAAARGH!"

She leaned on the windowsill, spewing thick vomit on the lawn below. Owen ran into the bathroom to get a towel to wipe her face. When he came back, she was coughing up the last few chunks with tears in her eyes.

"Oh god. This is so gross."

Owen wiped her beak.

"Shhh. It's okay, Claire. Just lie down on the bed. I'll get you a bucket."

"We don't have a bu- a bucket big enough," she croaked.

"I'll get the garbage can."

Owen skittered down the stairs, through the living room, and out the front door. He emptied the bin and wheeled it into the house, dragging it up the stairs clunkily. He placed it beside the bed, making sure that it was within reach. During his expedition, Claire had crawled under the blankets, and was shivering like crazy. Owen adjusted the comforter, then went over to the closet to get more sheets. He draped quilts and rugs and towels all over her body until she looked like a massive pile of laundry. She was still shivering.

"Do you . . . Do you believe me now?"

"About what?"

"Me dying."

Owen rubbed his thumb in a circular pattern on her forehead.

"No. You're going to get better. I promise."

"A promise tomorrow is . . ."

She groaned and rolled over, sending at least half of the blankets slipping down her side.

"I'm dying."

"You're not. I've seen people recover from worse."

"I'm not people . . . I'm not person . . . I'm dinosaur . . ."

"I know you are, darling."

Owen dipped down for another kiss, but his nose began to itch. Before he could stop himself, he gave a massive sneeze. Claire gawked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, no . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Later that night, Owen and Claire sat shivering on the floor. The lights were turned off, because neither of them had the strength to reach the switch. Owen was wrapped in Claire's arms, his forehead covered in a cold sweat and his lips dark blue. Claire had goop running out of her eyes, and her scales were starting to peel.

"C-Claire? . . ." Owen squeaked.

"Yes? . . ."

"I'm scared."

"Me too."

They stared ahead vacantly for a few seconds.

"O-Owen?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna puke."

Owen crawled out of her arms.

"Can you reach the garbage can?"

"Maybe. I'll try."

She pushed herself up to her knees, but fell back down soon after.

"It's coming."

"No . . ."

" _It's coming._ "

"Claire, don't you dare!"

"It's- MMMGH."

She placed her front foot over her beak, and her cheeks bulged out. Owen tried desperately to crawl out of the way. Claire struggled to hold back her barf.

"Mmm-mgh-mmm- _BLECH_!"

Claire threw up on his chest. She dribbled a little bit before coughing.

"This is _hell_."

Smelling her putrid expulsions, Owen threw up too.

"It's in my be-eard!" he gagged.

"BLAAAAAAAAA-"

Claire projectile vomited on his head.

"Oh god. Oh god. I'm so sorry- BUUUUUUUUURG!"

Their puke met in a messy splash, like two opposing fountains. They contorted on the carpet, screaming weakly.

"Heeeeeeeeelp! . . ." Claire wheezed.

"I'm dying . . ." Owen choked.

"BLARCK!"

Claire coughed up a small stream of acidic malt.

"Oh god . . . When did I eat carrots?"

Owen crawled forward through a chunky puddle.

"Claire, if we don't make it through this, I want you to know that I love you."

Claire whimpered.

"I love you, too."

She kissed him, not knowing that he was on the verge of barfing again. They had to separate because of the spew-pressure.

"Oh god! Why is this _happening_?"

***TSJWFEW***

"Ellie, help . . ." Elkay groaned as she leaned over the toilet.

Ellie licked her finger and turned the page casually.

"Can't. Owen and Claire are having the same problem."

Ellie heard the sound of barfing, then a loud clank. She frowned and took off her glasses.

"What hit the bowl?"

"A license plate."

"You swallowed a _license plate_?"

"I figured it would make a good inside joke if anyone cuts me open."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Alright. Let me cure Owen and Claire first, then I'll see if I have enough magic left over for you."

"Blarck! Please hurry!"

***TSJWFEW***

Owen's eyes fluttered open gently as he became aware of what seemed to be an inflating pillow behind his head. When his wooziness settled down, he realized that he was actually leaning against Claire's side. She took deep breaths. Peaceful breaths. She didn't look sick at all. Owen, too, was feeling better, and he suspected that it had something to do with Ellie. The room was clean, after all, with not a single drop of sick to be found. Owen rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Claire?"

She shifted slightly.

"Yes?"

"You didn't die."

"Nope."

"I'm glad."

"Me too."

Owen placed his hand over her front foot.

"Did you really think you were going to die?"

"Yes."

He kissed her cheek.

"I wouldn't have let you."

Claire smiled.

"I would try to fight it, if it would make you happy."

"Very happy. I can't live without you, Claire."

Owen didn't realize the gravity of his words until he had spoken them. He expected Claire to make some sort of snappy remark about his devotion, but instead, she tilted her head gently.

"The same goes for me."

Something flickered between them like a string of invisible light, and they found themselves staring at each other with a recognition that had been previously unattainable. In that moment, they both made a crucial decision, though neither of them knew what the other had planned.

One thing was for certain: this was the beginning of something entirely new.

***TSJWFEW***

Three weeks later, Owen tapped his fingers nervously against the kitchen table. Claire wasn't up yet, and he was anxious to get his rehearsing done. He would occasionally push his chair back, circle the table, and get down on one knee, mouthing a quick placeholder speech, but it still didn't feel natural. Maybe he shouldn't kneel at all. Was that allowed? Would that make it seem too casual?

Owen heard a noise upstairs and leapt to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair. He quickly shoved the rough draft of his script into his pocket and stood staring at the staircase with his hands behind his back. Claire came lumbering down the steps, yawning loudly. When she saw him, she jumped a little.

"Have you been waiting for me?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. Yes. Maybe . . . I already said yes. Yes is what I mean. I mean . . . Yes."

Claire blinked. Owen wrung his hands.

"But not in, like, a creepy way. I was just waiting because I had nothing better to do. Well, I mean, I made us breakfast, but you weren't up, so- I'm not implying that you're lazy, by the way. Just thought I'd clear that up . . ."

Claire gave him a funny look.

"I wasn't going to say anything . . ."

"Yeah, anyway . . . What was I saying?"

Claire shrugged and sat down at the table.

"No idea. You sound like you've had too much coffee. No offense."

Owen gave a twitchy grin.

"None taken. How was your sleep?"

"I had nightmares."

Shit. That meant she wasn't in a good mood. What if she remembered her nightmares whenever she thought about this day in retrospect? Maybe it would be best to wait until tomorrow. No, that was stupid. He'd been putting it off for far too long already . . .

"Owen? You gonna stop staring into space?"

Owen blinked.

"What?"

"You look like you're having a 'Nam flashback or something."

Owen laughed nervously.

"I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Nothing much. You look beautiful today."

Claire smiled.

"Implying that I don't look beautiful every day?" she teased.

Owen considered proposing right then, but he decided against it. He had a plan, after all, and his usual laid-back approach to life would not fly in this situation. Claire deserved something organized. He couldn't fake his way through it and hope for the best. He had to be clever.

"The badgers have been trying to get into the chicken coop."

Owen blinked.

"Hm?"

"The badgers," Claire repeated, "They've been digging holes under the fence. We should fill them in at some point today."

Oh, great. Now they had chores to do. Owen could think of nothing less romantic than filling badger-holes. It was time for some sneaky redirection.

"Actually, Claire, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk today. It's been a while since we hiked up to the lake."

Claire smiled.

"Sounds nice. I'm up for it. I guess the holes can wait. They aren't that deep."

Owen sighed with relief. That was _one_ crisis averted. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

***TSJWFEW***

Around ten o'clock, they began their climb up the mountain. The lake was a few kilometers away, and Owen predicted that they'd make it there by noon. That was, if everything went as planned.

Owen snapped out of his ponderings when Claire nudged him with her tail.

"You okay?"

He nodded quickly.

"Fine. Fine."

She smiled and ran her tail down his side.

"You seem distracted today."

Owen forced a smile.

"I'm just thinking."

"Well, that's a switch . . ."

He laughed and jogged up to her side. They continued to walk, leaning against each other. Halfway up the trail, they decided to stop for a quick break. They sat down on an old log and unpacked their sandwiches. Their lunch started out normal enough, but somehow, they ended up rolling around on the ground, stegocera-snogging. It was kind of crazy how often things like that happened. Owen smiled up at Claire with an amorous glow.

"Claire, I was wondering . . ."

He forced himself to stop. He had a plan, and he was sticking to it. It didn't matter how infatuated he was; he had to be strong. Claire would appreciate it if he made an effort to keep this whole thing as neat as possible. He hoped.

"What were you wondering, Owen?"

He gulped.

"If you wanted to keep walking . . ."

She raised her eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you actually wanted to ask me something else?"

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

Owen's eye twitched. He grinned awkwardly.

"No. I have nothing else to ask you."

Claire shrugged.

"Alright. Let's keep walking, then."

Owen was horrified when he noticed that she looked slightly relieved.

***TSJWFEW***

By the time they arrived at the lake, Owen's remaining confidence had completely petered out. The look on Claire's face had nearly destroyed him, and it had done just as much to his plans. He felt like a complete idiot. Maybe Claire really didn't want to get married.

Or maybe she just didn't want to get married to _him_.

He tried to forget that look of relief, but it stuck to his mind like a wad of half-dried glue. She had probably sensed that he was going to ask, and she clearly didn't want it. God, he was so _stupid_. He had gone and bought her a beautiful ring, and he certainly couldn't return it now. Claire didn't have fingers anymore, so he had secretly measured the diameter of her left tail-spike and proceeded from there. What was he supposed to do with a massive, golden hoop? Maybe he could have it melted into smaller bits so that he could resell it . . . If he could get over the emotional trauma, that is. It was such a shame. He had spent a very long time picking out the perfect diamond, and now it was going to waste.

"You okay?" Claire asked.

 _No, I am not okay! Why don't you want to marry me?_

"I'm fine," Owen said.

"You sure? You look upset."

 _Damn right, I'm upset! I had this whole thing planned out, and you had to go and ruin it by being stubborn and snobbish and-_

"I'm just a little tired."

Claire frowned sadly and put her front foot on his knee.

"Owen, is there something you're not telling me? You've been acting really strange all day."

Owen sneered.

"Yeah, well, I'm just not feeling great, okay? I think I need some time alone."

He stormed off into the woods, leaving a very confused Claire behind. When he was out of earshot, he began to mumble and grumble and kick rocks around. He stubbed his toe on a tree root and hopped up and down in pain. Growling unpleasantly, he snapped a branch off of a nearby tree and began to beat the living shit out of the trunk. He stopped mid-swing, however, when he heard something odd. There was a light scratching sound coming from inside the bark. Owen frowned in puzzlement.

"Eeeeee-peep-peep-peep-peep!"

Owen tapped the trunk again. He yelped as a small weasel leapt out of a hole in the tree and started scratching his eyeballs. He tried to pull the rodent off of his face, but it was clinging to him like iron wool. He fell backwards and landed on the forest floor with a loud _whump_. He didn't realize what had happened to the weasel until he felt claws digging into his chest. Through his shirt, he could see the bump of a weasel head poking up every now and then. He tried to swat it away, but his actions only drove the weasel South. With wide eyes, Owen tried to divert the animal's path, but it was too late. The weasel opened its tiny weasel-mouth, and-

***TSJWFEW***

Claire handed Owen another ice pack. They were back at the ranch, having cut their trip short for obvious reasons. Owen winced as Claire dabbed at his cheek with an alcohol-soaked cloth. She handed him a Band-Aid.

"Is the pain getting any better?"

Owen sighed.

"Well, I don't think it's easy to recover from a weasel mauling your privates."

Claire laughed.

"The situations you get yourself into . . ."

She kissed his cheek and hopped up on the bed. Owen winced as she shifted, but didn't stop her.

"You know, I used to think you were an idiot," she said whimsically.

Owen gave her a sardonic look.

"I know."

Claire smiled.

"You proved me wrong. You're really sweet . . ."

Owen picked at his scratches idly. He didn't know what to make of her compliments. Sure, she was being nice to him, but it was all a sham . . .

"I'm really glad we ended up together. I mean, all of that crazy stuff was hard to get through, but I'm glad I did it with you."

Yes, well, that "crazy stuff" obviously meant nothing to her, if she wasn't ready for a commitment.

"Owen, will you marry me?"

And now she was asking him to marry her. Typical. She-

WAIT.

Owen sat up straight and turned to Claire with wide eyes.

" _What did you say?_ "

Claire gave a half-smile.

"I was wondering if you'd marry me."

She reached into the bedside table drawer and resurface with a box in her beak. She popped it open to reveal a ring.

"I was waiting for the right moment. I know you don't like all of that planned-out stuff, so I thought I'd play it by ear."

Owen stared at the ring with his jaw hanging. Put off by his silence, Claire gulped.

"I mean, if you don't want to, we could-"

He pulled his own ring out of his pocket and showed it to her. She gasped.

"Owen! You said you had nothing to ask me!"

He flapped his hands in agitation.

"I- Well- I couldn't just ask you out of nowhere!" he sputtered.

"Why not?"

"Because I needed to follow the plan!"

Claire blinked.

"You had a plan?"

Owen nodded.

"Yes! I've been planning this for weeks!"

Claire cocked her head.

"But you were so nervous . . . If you had a plan, why were you freaked out all day?"

Owen cradled his knees.

"I didn't want to screw up."

After a few seconds, Claire burst out laughing. She rolled onto her back and giggled like a ninny.

"What's so funny?" Owen asked.

Claire struggled to breathe through her laughter.

"You were . . . attacked by a weasel . . . while you were trying to propose!"

Owen frowned.

"You laugh, but you're not the one with scratches all over your face."

Claire wrapped her arms around him.

"True . . . True . . ."

Owen smiled up at her.

"Does this mean we're engaged?"

Claire shrugged.

"Only if you want to be."

Owen laughed.

"Claire, I wouldn't have bought you a giant ring if I wasn't one hundred percent serious about this."

"Serious? You're never serious!" she giggled.

"I'm seriously in love with you . . ."

Claire grimaced.

"That was awful!"

Owen shrugged.

"I had a script, if you want to read it . . ."

"I'd love to read it."

With this, they exchanged rings and sat happily on the bed.


	54. ACU

It happened on the day of the big fight. For some reason, Claire kicked Owen out of the house. He didn't even remember why. All he knew was that she wanted him outside for the afternoon so that she could be alone. He left, as he was told to do, and started chopping wood in the yard. With each swing of his axe, he felt his anger building. He loved Claire with all of his heart, but sometimes, she could be a real pain. It was like walking on eggshells whenever he talked to her. One slip up, and she was back in self-pity mode.

Owen was so busy chopping wood that he didn't notice the light gray clouds swirling above him. He only started to pay attention to the weather once his hair began to stand on end. Lowering his axe, he saw that the metal was glowing blue. He immediately dropped to the ground.

 _BANG!_

Owen had never felt anything like it. It was the worst pain of his life, and he had been through a lot of injuries. He convulsed on the ground, utterly shocked (in more ways than one). His mind wasn't functioning properly. Everything seemed fuzzy, as if memory and fantasy had become one and the same. His thoughts were colliding and getting muddled and burning through his skull like falling fire.

 _BANG!_

Twice. He had been struck by lightning twice. He couldn't fathom the odds of this occurrence. He couldn't fathom much of anything. Looking back, he wouldn't remember what happened next. He would have a vague idea that he crawled towards the house, and that he didn't make it.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen heard Claire calling his name. That was the first thing he became aware of when he woke up. As his senses kicked in, he realized that something was wrong. He felt different somehow. Not only that, but something must have been wrong with Claire too, because he was lying right beside the back door, and she was in the middle of the field. Hadn't she seen him when she came out? She hadn't. In fact, Owen couldn't see _himself_. He craned his neck to get a better look at his waist and legs, but they simply weren't there. Actually, they _were_ there. Owen kicked, and the ground seemed to have a funny pattern. He looked like the grass. He was camouflaged.

Owen groaned and rolled over. Somehow, his mind clued in to the fact that he wasn't supposed to be grass-colored. When the saturation faded from his scales, he became a familiar shade of white.

Before he could ponder what this meant, exactly, Claire appeared from behind the house. She was still calling out to him, but he didn't hear her words. She could be spouting gibberish, for all he cared. He was starting to see her in a new light.

Creeping forward slowly, Owen unlatched his jaw. Claire was looking around helplessly. He felt himself drooling at the sight of her, and not for the usual reasons. She hadn't seen him yet. It was a perfect opportunity for a sneak-attack. But then she spoiled everything by turning around.

When she caught sight of him, her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped in an expression of sheer terror. She turned to run, but he was already upon her. He clamped his jaws around her front leg. He had been aiming for her neck. He tugged and tugged and tugged, hoping to break her limb and prevent an escape. She was too strong for him, however, and yanked herself out of his grasp, limping away as quickly as she could. He didn't know why she was even bothering to run. He had tasted blood, and he wasn't about to let his meal get away.

He pursued his prey across the meadow. She was fast, but not fast enough. Owen snapped at her heels, causing her to trumpet in fear. She tried to run faster, but Owen reached out for her thighs, hooking his claws through her flesh, and dragged her back. She bashed his face with her tail. Owen shrieked and clamped down on it. He had a hold of her tail spike, but suddenly, she slipped out of his mouth. She ran away at full force, her rump wiggling like a duck's hindquarters.

Owen stepped forward to continue his pursuit, but something made him freeze in his tracks. There was a cold, solid hoop in his mouth. He spat it out and turned it over in the grass. It was Claire's ring.

When he looked up and saw her disappear into the forest, Owen realized what he had done. With a horrified cry, he stumbled backwards, holding his hands over his mouth. He had hurt her. He had drawn blood. He had tried to _eat_ her.

With a feeble whimper, Owen picked up the ring and held it between his claws. He turned it over slowly. The diamond shimmered like a star. He felt tears trickling down his cheeks. He was a monster.

Determined to make things right, Owen placed the ring around his tail for safekeeping. Claire had left a trail of blood behind. He sniffed it, making sure that he could track her, then followed her scent. As he entered the forest, he felt his movement being inhibited by the trees. An animal of his size wasn't meant to travel in thick foliage.

Then again, no animal like him would ever go after Claire.

***TSJWFEW***

The trail of blood led him deep into the forest, well beyond the area he was familiar with. Even if the path had been known to him, it wouldn't have mattered. Everything looked different when he was taller than most trees. As he crossed a thick stream, Owen caught a glimpse of his reflection. Just as he suspected, he was an Indominus Rex. He didn't know how it had happened or why, but he didn't really care. All that mattered now was making sure that Claire was safe.

He sniffed the ground, but Claire's scent was getting fainter. It was impossible; her blood was still visible on the ground. When the trail ended abruptly, Owen looked up in fear. Claire hadn't climbed a tree. She was in no state to do such a thing. What she had really done was double back on her trail and move in another direction. Owen wondered if she'd made a separate path or simply snuck past him on the same one.

Without warning, Owen felt something stabbing the back of his knee. He shrieked and wheeled around. Claire was attacking him. She brayed furiously, slamming into his leg in pure, unfiltered rage. Owen backed up quickly, attempting to communicate with his fiancée. Try as he might, he couldn't produce a single word. Claire came at him again, this time sticking him in the thigh. Owen roared in pain. He made up his mind to run, but before he had the chance, Claire drove her horn through his chest. Owen fell to the ground, mortally wounded. He tried to reach out for Claire, but she snorted viciously and circled him. He felt her tugging on his tail. When she pulled back, he realized why she had set the trap for him. She wanted her ring back.

Overcome with grief and guilt, Owen laid his head down in the moist undergrowth and let out a quiet whine. Claire, who had been sliding the ring onto her tail again, looked up, as if suddenly aware that he was still present. Slowly, she made her way to the front half of his body. Owen thought she might have recognized him, but was proven wrong when she lifted her tail and drove her spikes into his neck. Owen didn't even scream. He simply stared forward, shaking a little bit. He deserved this. He had hurt her.

As she lifted her tail for the final strike, time went still. Owen relaxed slightly. A glowing figure started walking towards him.

"Hello, Owen."

"Hi, Ellie."

He was grateful that he had found his voice again, but on the other hand, he was still bleeding profusely.

"I heard you were in trouble. Claire kicked you out of the house yesterday. Do you remember what you were fighting about?" Ellie asked.

Owen shook his head.

"You said Claire was pudgy," Ellie explained.

"Is that all?"

"No. That may have started the argument, but it's an indicator that something else is wrong."

Owen bit his lip, feeling his sharp teeth piercing his scales.

"I'm worried about the wedding. Claire is really stressed out about it. She asked me if she should walk down the aisle on four legs or two, and I have no answer. I want her to be comfortable, but she has her heart set on being as human as possible."

Ellie gave a half smile.

"You have to fix these problems on your own."

Owen looked at Claire, who was still frozen in time. Her tail was only a few feet away from his neck.

"I don't think I'll get the chance."

Ellie nodded.

"I'll fix this. I'm going to bring you back to yesterday. Before that, I want to tell you a story."

Owen lay down calmly and listened.

"We have a special lab, as you know, for designing stegoceratops devices. My grandmother is the station head, but sometimes, she doesn't listen. For the longest time, she's been trying to design high heels for Claire. I made a pair that worked just fine, but she rejected them because they didn't have a thin heel. She worked for hours on end, refusing to believe that it was physically impossible to create exactly what she wanted."

"But the shoes you gave us have thin heels . . ."

"Well, we used magic to cheat, but the moral is: you can't always have your way. Sometimes, you need to compromise."

Owen sniffled.

"I feel really shitty about this."

Ellie shrugged.

"By yesterday, it will have never happened. But do you understand what I'm saying?"

Owen nodded vigorously.

"I have to compromise."

"Good. See you twelve hours ago . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"- _completely_ unrealistic! I don't know where you get off saying-"

Owen leapt forward and kissed Claire in the middle of her sentence. Her eyes went wide in surprise, and she choked a little. Owen paid no mind to her shock. He planted kisses all along her frill and down her side, ending at the tip of her front foot.

"Owen, why are you kissing me?"

"Because I love you."

Claire didn't move as he continued to smooch her arm. Finally, she rolled her eyes and nudged him with her beak.

"I love you, too. Weirdo."

Owen smiled and hugged her neck. He ran his hand down the space between her plates.

"I love you, Claire. I love you so much. You're not pudgy . . ."

Claire snorted.

"Well, I kind of am. I guess I overreacted. You didn't mean it in a bad way."

"Of course not. I love the fact that you're . . ."

"Fat?"

"Huggable."

He slid beneath her and pulled her beak towards his face. Claire yanked her head back.

"Wait. Before we kiss, I want an answer to my leg question."

"Leg question?"

"Should I walk down the aisle on two legs or four?"

Owen rubbed his chin.

"Why don't you walk down the aisle on four legs, but dance on two?"

Claire thought about it.

"Yeah, that seems reasonable. Do you think I'll be able to balance?"

Owen smiled.

"Why don't we practice?"

He jumped to his feet, prompting Claire to do the same. When they were both standing, he put his hands on her waist and spun her across the room. Claire smiled.

"I'm glad we could-"

"Compromise?"

She smiled.

"I was going to say 'resolve our differences'."

"I like my word better."

"Well, I guess we'll have to compromise on that too."


	55. Stegoceratops For A Day

Claire couldn't have asked for a better day to get married. The sky had very few clouds, and none of them were threatening to rain. They billowed and curled over the mountains like cotton, casting the occasional shadow on the yellow fields and green forests. Near the cabin, a colorful cast of characters was setting up the ceremony area. Two raptors erected an archway of white flowers, and various theropods unfolded chairs on the lawn. Claire oversaw all of the preparations, making sure that everything was perfect.

"CLAIRE!"

She was tackled to the ground by a very enthusiastic mozaradon. She gave Claire a massive hug and smiled.

"I've missed you so much! I was so excited to hear- GAWHAWHAWHAWHAW!"

She burst into a fit of not-quite-laughter. Claire smiled timidly.

"Thank you, Zara."

She put her down.

"Where's Owen?"

"Inside. Barry isn't letting him see me, because he's incredibly superstitious."

Zara put her wing-hands on her cheeks and squealed happily.

"You two are so cute together! This is going to be wonderful! Makes me wish I could get married . . ."

Before she could create an awkward pause, Claire gave a pleasant smile.

"What have you been up to, recently?"

"I was a cowgirl last week!" Zara trilled, "I went by Jellybean Bonanza, because Bonanza Jellybean was already taken."

Claire raised her eyebrow.

"Last week? What about now?"

Zara giggled.

"That's even better news! The Isla Nublar Theatre is doing Wicked, and I got a part . . ."

She leaned in, obviously giving Claire an implicit signal to ask her more.

"What part did-"

"ELPHABA! I got the lead!" she screamed, "I didn't expect to get a role at all, because I'm so huge, but now I'm living my secret dream! I knew I was destined to play the lead ever since I saw it on stage. I have _you_ to thank for that. If you hadn't introduced me to Trixie, I would have never had the chance to go."

"Trixie? Trixie who?" Claire asked.

"Trixie the scientist. Don't you remember? She had an extra ticket . . ."

"Oh, right. I remember now," Claire lied, "I'm glad you're ha-"

She grunted as Zara squeezed her again.

"Things are finally turning around for me, Claire. The people on Nublar are so nice! I used to think that it was foolish to dream, because every time you think you've got it made, something swoops down from the sky and destroys your life as you know it, forcing you to . . . Where was I going with this?"

"Dreams?"

"Right! Now I can finally pursue my dreams, and it's so-"

She danced around, flapping her wings merrily and letting loose an excited giggle. Claire gave an awkward smile.

"That's great, Zara. I'm glad you've found a place where you belong."

"I'm glad for you too, Claire."

A third voice joined them.

"Yeah, it's about time you settled down."

They turned and saw Vivian lumbering towards them.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to be shipped here with a crate of livestock, and Brad had trouble convincing customs that I was just a very ugly horse."

Zara gave her a hug.

"How are you?"

"Great. Things have been going pretty well for me . . . except for the fact that my grandpa tried to shoot me when I broke my leg . . . that was pretty awkward."

Claire gave an uncomfortable laugh.

"Sounds like it. Speaking of awkward, Lowery is coming . . ."

"I'm not too worried about that," Vivian said, "The guys will keep him busy."

Claire shrugged.

"I dunno. He's still not over you."

Vivian snorted.

"You could find him a new woman. The world isn't short on bug-eyed blondes, you know."

Zara laughed.

"Yeah. I'm sure he'll get over her soon enough."

***TSJWFEW***

"I hate my life, I hate weddings, and I'm pretty sure I'd be better off dead."

Owen patted Lowery's back as he sat with his head on the table.

"Vivian is my soulmate, and she's dating some guy named Brad. He's probably good-looking. No one named 'Brad' is ever ugly. How am I supposed to compete with _that_?"

Barry punched his shoulder.

"Cheer up. You'll find somebody."

"There's nobody like Vivian."

"Then you'll just have to find someone better," Owen asserted.

There was a knock at the door. Owen jogged over to open it, and found Karen struggling to keep Gray from running amuck. She looked up at Owen with bloodshot eyes.

"Scott gave him coffee before sending him over. Plane ride was hell. Should have worn off by now. Help."

Owen caught Gray as he went darting through the door. Karen stumbled over to the sofa and collapsed.

"His father knows that he's not allowed to have coffee. He did this to sabotage my weekend."

"Don't talk about Dad that way," Zach muttered as he stepped through the door.

Owen gulped and lifted the papers out of Karen's hands.

"Do you want me to put these in the study?"

Karen nodded.

"If I have time, I'll go through them. I don't know if I can mange . . ."

Owen smiled.

"If you're anything like Claire, it will be a breeze. Speaking of which, she's waiting for you outside."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen stormed past the caterers with disheveled hair and a sour pout on her face. She bumped into a raptor and screamed.

"AH! Oh, shit. Right. You're one of the- well- carry on."

She pushed him aside, leaving him utterly confused. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she searched the ceremony area for her sister. She found her speaking with one of the yellow dragons. Karen knew that they had names, but she didn't really care. Why bother getting to know supernatural beings when there were divorce settlements to resolve?

"Claire."

Claire turned around, a huge smile plastered across her face.

"Karen!"

She grunted as she was scooped up by a pair of pudgy, green arms. Claire rubbed her cheek against her head.

"I've missed you. You haven't visited recently . . ."

"I was busy."

Claire squeezed her tightly.

"You should see my dress. I don't know how they did it, but they found a design that doesn't make me look fat."

Karen nodded vacantly.

"Yeah. Sure. Is the office free?"

Claire pouted.

"You're not going to shut yourself in today, are you?"

Karen exhaled sharply.

"I don't see why it matters to you."

Claire frowned.

"Well, it's my wedding for one thing. More importantly, you're my sister, and I want to look out for you."

Karen snorted.

"I don't need your help."

Claire put her front foot on Karen's shoulder.

"Everyone needs help sometimes."

Karen shook her off.

"Look, don't worry about it, okay? Just have fun with your wedding while I sort out my divorce."

Claire tilted her head.

"Karen . . . Maybe try to forget your divorce, just for one day."

Karen gave a bitter laugh.

"The world doesn't stop turning for a wedding. I can't forget for no good reason."

Claire scowled.

"Your sister's wedding isn't a good enough reason?"

Karen crossed her arms.

"Don't try to use your guilt-powers on me. I have a lot of shit to deal with."

"So do I."

Karen scoffed.

"Claire, you live on a luxurious ranch in the beautiful countryside. Your biggest problem is the wild badgers."

Claire stared at her for a moment, then frowned deeply.

"You don't know what I've been through, Karen."

She rolled her eyes.

"Right. You're a dinosaur. So what? Some of us have _real_ problems."

Claire shook her head.

"I realize you're upset, but don't start this today."

"Why? Because you're so stressed out about your _free_ wedding?"

Claire's beak quivered.

"Karen, I've dissolved every last ounce of stress over the past few weeks getting this thing ready. This is the one day in my adult life when I can allow myself to feel like I'm completely in control. Even if I'm not, it doesn't matter. I'm happy."

"Well, I'm glad, but I have to deal with reality. It's not all hearts and doves."

"I'm perfectly aware of what reality is like."

Karen hummed.

"You're a dinosaur. You get a cushy little life-"

Claire snorted angrily.

"Now, hang on. Being a dinosaur is hard. Very hard."

Karen rolled her eyes.

"Your biggest problem is making sure you don't eat too much. How hard can it be?"

Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over Karen. She held her head and swayed unsteadily.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked. Karen nodded quickly.

"I'm fine. I just . . . I have to go."

She stumbled away, leaving Claire to speak with the dragon (who had been listening to their conversation). When she reached the house, she tried to operate the door handle, but her fingers felt swollen. Giving up, she pushed the door open by force and trotted up the staircase. She made her way to the guest room, flopping down lazily on the bed. The door closed behind her, probably because of the wind.

Karen moaned and rolled over. She put her hands on her stomach, discovering that it was farther than usual. Craning her neck, she noticed several peculiar things, not the least of which was a tail that seemed to be growing out of her posterior. Her dress was wrapping around her legs and sinking into her skin, giving way to light blue scales. Karen shrieked and tried to turn around, only to skewer a pillow with one of the horns that was growing out of her forehead. She reared up on her hind legs in panic. The pillow tore, sending feathers flying everywhere. She tried to brush them off of her face, but a third horn sprung up from her nose and poked her.

"Ouch!"

As she spoke, she was surprised to find a beak clicking where her mouth should have been. Lifting her hands up to feel her face, she saw that she didn't have hands at all, but rather, large rhino-feet. She yelped and stumbled backwards. Her back was getting a lot heavier, and it felt like it was splitting in places. When she looked over her shoulder (which she could barely do), Karen saw large flat-things running down her spine. She gasped in surprise as her hair curled up into a thick structure. When her skin was done rippling, Karen sensed that whatever had happened to her was no longer in progress. She stepped down from the bed, taking a sheet with her by accident. It slipped off of her shoulders as she made her way to the bathroom, crawling on all fours. With a kind of lethargic drowsiness, she placed her front feet on the counter and lifted herself onto two legs.

When she looked in the mirror, she saw a stegoceratops staring back at her.

***TSJWFEW***

Vivian stepped through the doorway timidly. She shuffled her feet a bit before coming inside.

"Are you sure Claire is okay with this? My grandpa put tiny horseshoes on my toes to keep me from damaging my feet. I don't want to make dents in your floor."

Owen waved his hand.

"Naw, it's fine. The dragons made sure that our floor is immune to dinosaur feet."

Vivian bit her lip.

"Is Lowery in there?"

Owen shook his head.

"He's with Barry outside."

"You two are close, huh?"

"Who? Me and Lowery?"

"No, Barry."

Owen smiled.

"Yeah. We were friends in the navy."

Vivian cocked her head.

"You met him in the navy?"

Owen nodded.

"Mhm. There was a group of men who were always shouting racial slurs . . ."

"And you defended him, forging a lifelong friendship?"

Owen hummed.

"Not exactly. Let's just say I used to hang out with a bad crowd and leave it at that."

As they walked by the office, Owen gave a puzzled frown.

"That's odd. I thought Karen would be in there for sure."

Vivian shrugged.

"She's probably forgotten all about her problems. I'll bet she's waiting with the others outside."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen screamed in frustration and banged her head against the door. Her horns stopped her before she could go all the way, and the impact made her shudder. She stomped her foot in determination and snorted.

"There's no way I'm letting myself get stuck in an unlocked room on my sister's wedding day."

She pushed against the door, but for some reason, it seemed to be adjusted so that it could only swing inwards. Well, that only meant she'd have to pull it. How hard could it be?

Karen sat on her haunches and brushed herself off. With a deep breath, she reached out and tried to grab the doorknob. She really thought she had a grasp on it, but the base of her foot was still completely flat. She pushed harder, hoping that the friction of her hand turning was enough to open the door. It wasn't. Karen tried bashing it, jimmying it, pushing it, and biting it, but nothing seemed to work. Spitting out the taste of metal, Karen fell back on her rump and stared at the door, placing her front foot under her chin. The knob was her canvas, and she the painter. Once she knew what her plan of action was, she could work on her masterpiece . . . which in this case was opening a door.

Karen was snapped out of her reverie when she heard footsteps outside. She charged over to the window and cranked it open with her mouth. Zach was meandering across the lawn with a pair of headphones draped over his head.

"Zach!"

He didn't acknowledge her.

"ZACH!"

Not so much as a blink. Karen snorted in frustration.

"Zachary Arnost Mitchell, you take those headphones off _RIGHT NOW_!"

He didn't slow down. Karen mooed furiously.

"You're going to ruin your hearing!"

Zach disappeared around the side of the house. Karen growled.

"Alright. No more games."

She scuttled across the room and grabbed the doorknob in her mouth. Using her tongue for leverage, she twisted with all of her might. The handle slipped, and she tried again.

"Erm nert gerng ter mers mer serster's werderng!" she drooled.

Fed up with the lack of payoff, she gave a mighty tug. To her horror, she fell backwards with the knob in her mouth.

"No!"

She tried to place the knob back in the splintered hole, but it slipped and rolled across the carpet. As Karen looked down, the sound of a small wedding band rang through the mountains.

"No! They can't start without me!"

Karen mooed in distress and made her way over to the closet. She lowered her head and rooted through a pile of old clothing, hoping to find something that could help her escape. When she moved a loose sock, she noticed a red button that said "DO NOT PUSH". She pushed it. There was a bright flash of light, and suddenly, she found herself in a small room. When she turned around, her tail knocked over a chair, which happened to be holding a person. Karen looked down at her and gasped.

"Claire! How did you change back?"

She didn't reply. Karen sat down and crossed her arms.

"I suppose you're trying to find a new wedding dress, now that you're skinny again."

She blinked.

"Oh, don't give me that deer-in-the-headlights look! Did you do this on purpose?"

She blinked again.

"I knew it! You had us trade places! Well, you've proven your point. It's hard being a dinosaur. There. Are you happy?"

She didn't move. Karen snorted.

"I know you must think I'm a real bitch, being all sour at your wedding, but you know what? It's not easy being me, either. I have to live life knowing that the one person I loved turned out to be a total jerk, and now I'm all alone . . ."

Karen started sniffling.

"I'm all alone, and now you're not going to be there for me, because you have a life of your own. I thought we were supposed to be sisters . . ."

Tears began pouring down her face.

"I guess I'm just wondering why you could find someone who loves you as a big, fat dinosaur, but nobody seems to like me, even when I'm trying hard to be beautiful."

She wiped her eyes.

"I'm happy for you. Really, I am. I just feel that it's a little unfair . . . I guess that's not the point, though. This is your day, not mine. I'm sorry for trying to take that away from you. I love you, Claire."

Karen gave her a hug. Her sister reacted by tensing up, which was a really strange reaction, but she didn't mind. She was just glad that she was able to tell her what she was really feeling.

There was a knock at the door.

"Bryce, we're ready for you on the set."

Karen's eyes went wide.

"You're not my sister, are you?"

The woman shook her head. Karen dropped her.

"Well . . . Are you going to tell anyone about this?"

The woman shook her head quickly.

"Good," Karen said, "Do you have any idea how I can get back to . . ."

The woman pushed the red button forward with her foot. Karen smiled and pressed it.

"Thank you!"

She disappeared into thin air, leaving the woman alone in the room. After a moment, she dove for her cellphone and dialed a long number. She fidgeted in agitation as she waited for the shrill tone to subside. When it did, she lifted the phone to her ear, her hand shaking.

"I found one."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen made it back to the wedding just as Owen was finishing up his vows. She had changed back (thank god), and fit easily in her designated seat. Hardly anyone noticed her sneak in, for all eyes were on Owen.

"-thought I was saving you, but really, it was the other way around. A year ago, I never would have thought that I was ready for this, but I guess that's how life goes. Adventures don't come to you when you're ready. You have to accept them on your own. All in all, I guess what I'm trying to say is that traveling the world, getting stuck as a rodent, and fighting giant dinosaurs was nothing. The real adventure was getting to know you, and seeing how spectacular you are. Claire Dearing, you are amazing."

There was applause. Karen watched as Claire took a deep breath. She was right about the dress: it made her look absolutely radiant.

"Owen, we've been through a lot together. I would say that it all started when we got in a crate to fly to Cambodia, but that's not exactly true. It didn't start when I woke up after a brief coma, it didn't start when you returned my necklace, and it didn't even start with our first date. It started during a time that I can barely remember. I wish I could. From what I recall, that was our very first adventure."

***TSJWFEW***

"You're very vain, you know," Owen muttered, "Why do you let your world revolve around how people see you?"

Claire frowned.

"Idiot. I don't care what other people think . . ."

"So, why do you only dance in private?"

Claire rumbled menacingly.

"What I do in my spare time is none of your business. You have no right to judge my personal activities. Why were you watching me, anyway?"

"I needed to deliver a form, but I heard music, and-"

Claire kicked him to the side.

"Don't make excuses. We have a mountain to climb."

***TSJWFEW***

"It wasn't the same when we started. I don't think we liked each other very much. We were afraid to like each other, but for different reasons."

***TSJWFEW***

"Watch it! I'm trying to climb, here!"

Claire snorted.

"Don't rush me."

"Rush YOU? _You're_ the one who-"

Claire made a swipe for him, but ended up slipping from the rock. She landed on her belly.

"Ow . . ."

Owen grinned.

"Maybe _I_ should go first."

Claire snorted with disdain.

"I hate you."

"Shut up."

Claire began to climb the ledge again. Owen laughed as she swung her tail back and forth in frustration.

"You look like you're dancing."

Claire gave a deep rumble.

"Watch it . . ."

Owen sniggered.

"Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing. Yeah! Yeah!"

Claire pulled herself up onto the ledge and turned around. She took an alternate route that ran along the flat part of the mountainside. Owen frowned in confusion.

"You know, it'll take longer if you go that way . . ."

Claire didn't turn around.

"I don't want to climb anymore."

***TSJWFEW***

"But we got to talking. If I remember one thing, it's when you told me that I shouldn't be afraid to dance. I don't know why, but that always stuck with me."

***TSJWFEW***

"What am I supposed to do? I've built up a reputation. I'm always neat and tidy, and I'm meticulous to no end. I can't just show up to work in sweatpants and a hoodie. I can't be casual. I'll look ridiculous if I pull a stunt like that. What can I do to be less intimidating?"

"You could stop wearing makeup."

"What would THAT accomplish?"

"You'd have more time to dance."

Claire frowned.

"Stop bringing that up."

Owen rolled over and stared into her eyes.

"Look, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Plenty of people are caught dancing when they think no one is watching. It's like mas-"

Claire lifted her front foot.

"Don't make this weird."

". . . Point is, a lot of people are caught dancing."

"Have you been caught?"

"Well, no."

Claire hummed. Owen tapped his fingers on the ground.

"I've been caught singing in the shower, though."

Claire raised her eyebrow.

"You sing?"

Owen traced circles in the dirt.

"Not well. It takes courage."

"Stage fright?"

"Yeah."

***TSJWFEW***

"I think something changed after that. I don't know what it was, but I'm almost positive that it happened for a reason."

***TSJWFEW***

"Claire . . ."

She bit her beak.

"Yeah? . . ."

Owen took a deep breath.

"Never mind."

"Were you going to call me a cow?"

"No."

"I chewed cud today. I guess that kind of makes me a cow."

Owen put his hand over hers.

"I like cows."

***TSJWFEW***

"Even when things started to go wrong, you never gave up."

***TSJWFEW***

"Owen . . . I'm sorry. I'm not . . . not going to . . . make it."

He shook his head.

"Don't talk like that. You'll be fine. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you."

She took a deep breath and struggled to form a coherent sentence.

"If I don't make it, don't blame yourself. We tried."

Owen pressed his forehead against her beak.

"No, no . . . Claire, come on! We can make things right. We've come so far . . ."

She smiled.

"We have, but it's not enough. Not this time. I'm sorry for being mean to you."

Owen shook his head.

"Don't apologize. It's all in the past."

"You sing well. You should sing more often. Don't be afraid."

***TSJWFEW***

"You were always there for me. Always. You didn't have to be. No one else would have done what you did. You had enough courage for the both of us."

***TSJWFEW***

"Claire, can you speak?"

She shook her head.

"Not even a little?"

She shook her head.

"Try?"

She turned away. Owen pulled her closer.

"Come on. I won't make fun of you. I promise."

Claire opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She looked very disappointed with herself.

"Try again," Owen said quietly.

Claire took a deep breath, and gave a quiet moo. She tossed her head in frustration.

"Come on, Claire. Say something . . ."

She tried to turn her head. Owen grabbed her horns.

"Say something! Please, say something!"

She yanked herself out of his grasp. With a deep bellow, she sat down in the snow with her back turned to Owen. He crawled over on his hands and knees. At first, Claire refused to make eye contact with him, but when he put his hand on her shoulder, she couldn't help herself.

"Say something. I love you."

***TSJWFEW***

"It all started when you said you loved me for the very first time. That's when I knew. I was a dinosaur, just like I am now. But when you said that you loved me, it didn't seem to matter. I forgot what I was, because you made me forget. You make me feel brave when I've run out of courage. You make me feel happy when I have nothing to hold onto. Most of all, you make me feel beautiful, even when I'm not. I love you, Owen Grady, and I can't imagine loving anyone else for as long as I live."

From where Karen was sitting, she could clearly tell that Owen was barely keeping himself together. There were tears lining his eyes, and Claire's too. When Gray brought them their rings, they barely broke each other's gaze. Somehow, they managed to convince the entire crowd that there had never been any words truer than "I do". In that moment, true love was not only possible, but it was an absolute certainty. It became clear that the simple idea of love was enough to conquer everything. It tied them together like a knot forged from their very emotions, binding their destinies forever.

They were pronounced husband and wife, and the whole world knew that something beautiful was about to begin.

***TSJWFEW***

After the ceremony, Karen sat with Vivian and Zara at the reception. They laughed and drank champagne and had a good time. Karen forgot all about her divorce papers. After a particularly rowdy gossip session, Gray ran up to her with a big smile.

"Mom! Mom! You have to meet this guy!"

He ran back and dragged Lowery over.

"He knows everything about dinosaurs! Tell her."

Lowery shrugged.

"Well, I don't know _everything_ . . ."

"How much does Aunt Claire weigh?"

"Approximately five thousand eight hundred pounds."

Karen laughed.

"Has Gray been bugging you?"

"No, not at all. He's a smart kid."

Karen ruffled Gray's hair.

"I know. I'm lucky to have him. I'm Karen, by the way."

"Lowery. Lowery Cruthers."

As they shook hands, something landed between them. After a brief kerfuffle, they found themselves holding Claire's bouquet. She gave them a wink and led Owen to the dance floor. Karen and Lowery placed the bouquet on the table.

"So."

"So."

Lowery twiddled his fingers.

"Do you have anyone to dance with?"

"I do now."

They joined Claire and Owen, whirling around as the sun set over the mountains, casting a gentle glow over the valley.


	56. Henry May Need Glasses

Owen waited by a glimmering portal for his special guest. Elkay had told him that he was to let someone stay at his house for a week, but when he asked who it was, she giggled like a ninny and said it was a surprise. Owen didn't like surprises. Well, maybe the good kind of surprise, like when Claire gave him unexpected kisses, but other than that, he didn't enjoy secrecy. If he was to be hosting someone, he wanted to know what kind of a someone he was going to have to deal with. _Of course_ , the result turned out to be _far_ worse than he could have ever imagined.

The dinosaur who stepped through the portal was a rotund, bipedal hadrosaur. The scales on his torso were yellow, bleeding into red scales on his lower half. His purple, blue-tipped tail swung back and forth as he waddled forward. He had red nubs on his cheeks and a brown dome on his head. His snout was orange, like the crest that shot out behind his head, which had a crimson tip. All of this, plus his gray beard and plump belly, indicated that he was, in fact, Vic Hoskins. Owen was almost positive that the dragon had made a mistake, but before he could adopt a defensive pose, Vic ran forward and gave him a big hug. At first, Owen didn't comprehend what was happening. He went rigid, staring blankly ahead with wide eyes.

"Owen! It's so good to see you again. _So_ good. I've missed you."

Vic let him slip out of the hug, but to Owen's horror, the dinosaur held one of his hands with both of his paws.

"You're looking well. I heard you got married. Is the Mrs. around?"

Claire, meanwhile, had lumbered out the front door. When she saw who their mysterious guest was, she immediately lowered her horns and prepared to charge.

"Oh, hi!" Vic chirped, "I almost didn't recognize you. You're still pretty, even as a dinosaur."

Claire blinked. She continued to display a confused look as Vic gave her a hug. He sat down on his behind so that they were at eye level and gave a whimsical sigh.

"You two look so happy together. Congratulations. You have my full support."

Owen opened his mouth a few times before he could speak.

"Vic? . . ."

"Oh! Silly me! You probably don't recognize me. I mean, you saw me as a dinosaur before, but I didn't have arms back then."

He wiggled his stubby fingers.

"I got my limbs back because of my good behavior. I took sensitivity courses, you see, and I came out a changed man."

Owen cocked his head.

"Vic . . . Hoskins?"

He nodded emphatically.

"Yes. I'm your guest for the next week, as you've probably guessed. Elkay is dropping off my luggage tonight. I was going to bring you a bag of snickerdoodles, but I packed them away in my suitcase like a silly goose."

Owen looked about ready to fall over. Claire was shocked as well, but somehow, she managed a polite smile.

"Well . . . Vic . . . Your room is upstairs. Why don't you get yourself settled in?"

Vic smiled.

"I would _love_ to! Thank you for your generosity. You are both very kind people."

He held each of them in an arm and initiated a group hug. They remained in the same position, even as he skipped away. With a hanging jaw, Claire turned to Owen.

"What just happened?"

Owen shook his head.

"I don't know, but I still want to punch him."

***TSJWFEW***

Later that night, they all had dinner in the unfinished kitchen. It was awkward. So very awkward. Not on Vic's part, of course, since he was yapping on and on about yoga and rainbows and herbal tea, but Owen and Claire were left utterly perplexed. If it was all an act, he was doing a very good job of keeping it up. In the middle of one of his many puppy-related sentences, Owen decided to interrupt and ask what had been on his mind since their guest arrived.

"Hoskins, why are you being nice to us?"

There was a pause. Vic twiddled his thumbs uncomfortably.

"Well, I went to sensitivity courses. That's about it."

Owen frowned.

"I'm not buying it. There's no way you could have done a complete one-eighty in such a short amount of time."

Vic gave a reluctant smile.

"I know we haven't been the best of friends in the past, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to start fresh. I've worked through my issues with my instructor. We talked about a lot of things, and I decided that I didn't want to continue to lead an unhappy life. A lot of my anger stemmed from the fact that I didn't feel like I was in control. Now that I've had some spiritual guidance, I can finally accept the fact that I'm not in control and that I'm sexually attracted to mermaids."

Claire spat out her orange juice in a large spray of mist. Vic dabbed his face with a napkin and continued.

"It hasn't been easy fitting in, but the people on Isla Nublar- the other one, I mean- are very forgiving. They have about thirteen rehabilitated villains- if you'll pardon the derogatory term- on the island, and they're all flourishing. Well, except the purple one. Her kitten died, you see, and she bit off her cla-"

Claire stood up.

"Are you talking about June?"

Vic nodded.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Is she not doing well?" Claire asked with concern.

"No. I don't think so."

Claire made her way over to the door, shepherding Owen along with her tail.

"We're going to visit her."

Owen blinked.

"What? Why?"

"She needs help."

"Yeah, but you _hate_ the other Nublar!" Owen protested, "It's crawling with raptors!"

Claire frowned in determination.

"The portal is still open. On the other side, there's a child who needs our help. Are you coming or not?"

Owen sighed.

"Fine. Vic, stay here and get settled. Don't touch anything."

They hustled out the door, leaving Vic alone. He looked down at his salad sadly.

"Okay. I guess I'll just finish up here."

***TSJWFEW***

". . . and Sara saw her and was so sorry for her that she began rather to like her and want to be her french-"

"I think you mean 'friend', Daddy."

Henry squinted and stared at the page.

"Right. The print is so tiny in this book. It's really hard to see."

June snuggled up closer to him.

"Do you think you might need glasses, Daddy?"

Henry gulped.

"No . . . No, of course not. I'm fine."

There was a knock at the door. When Henry opened it, June gasped. Claire was standing in the grass with Owen by her side. She gave a small smile. June didn't know how to feel. Even though she was racked with guilt, she was very happy to see her. She walked forward slowly, so as not to frighten the stegoceratops, and wrapped her arms around her neck. Claire hugged her back.

"Hello, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"I'm a little better now. Thank you for coming to see me."

Claire lifted her head to look at Henry.

"Are you June's father?"

"Yes, I am."

When Claire heard his voice, she felt a jolt of déjà vu. She cocked her head and tried to place him.

"We've met before," Henry explained, as if reading her mind, "You don't remember it, but your employer kidnapped me and brought me to your world. I got into a fight with your husband and slapped off his jaw. Sorry about that, by the way."

Owen blinked.

"I might remember that . . . But don't we know you from somewhere else?"

"It's possible," Henry said with a shrug, "Seems different versions of me pop up in various universes. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew the other . . . well, _me_."

Claire turned back to June. She noticed her mangled fingers and held them up for closer examination.

"What happened? Did you have an accident?"

June shook her head.

"I bit them off. I didn't want to look scary."

Claire frowned sadly and ran her front foot over June's head.

"Oh, sweetheart. You shouldn't hurt yourself."

June buried her head in Claire's chest.

"It didn't hurt _that_ much."

Henry dipped his head down to speak with Claire at eye level.

"Did you leave Hoskins alone at your cabin?"

"Yes. Why? Do you think he's dangerous?" Claire asked anxiously.

"No, I think he's genuinely reformed," Henry stated, "But he might be lonely right now."

June lifted her head in alarm.

"Is Claire leaving? She only just got here."

Claire bit her lower beak.

"Well, I have to go home _sometime_. But I can visit again."

June nodded sadly and slipped out of her arms. She went back to the sofa and picked up the book Henry had been reading. Claire watched her climb up the stairs to the top level of the garage. She rubbed her front foot guiltily.

"I'm sorry."

Henry shook his head.

"It's not your fault. She's always been distant. I appreciate your concern, especially given the circumstances."

Claire sighed.

"It's really no problem. It was partly my fault that . . . Well, if I hadn't . . . I mean . . ."

Henry shook his head.

"Don't blame yourself for any of this. It's no one's fault. We just got unlucky. What matters now is that we can make things right."

Claire nodded.

"I guess that means I should give Hoskins a second chance, too."

Owen jolted.

"Wait, what? Claire, let's not jump to conclusions."

"It's not jumping to conclusions, Owen," Claire affirmed, "It's doing the right thing."

Owen crossed his arms.

"I've known Hoskins for far longer than you have. People don't change, Claire."

"I think they can."

Owen saw in her eyes that she wasn't about to back down, and gave a sigh of defeat.

"Fine. We'll go back. Just wait and see: he'll have trashed the whole house."

***TSJWFEW***

Vic hadn't trashed the house. In fact, he was sitting in the exact same spot as when they had left. Claire sat down at the table (she had no chair, which was a little depressing, since it felt like she wasn't even meant to be there) and gave him a side glance. Vic smiled.

"Thank you for coming back. I was starting to worry that you'd abandoned me."

Owen sat down on the opposite end of the table and put his hands beneath his chin.

"Tell us, _Vic_ : what exactly made you change your mind about being an asshole?"

Claire stomped on his foot under the table. He winced in pain. Vic took a deep breath.

"I resisted integration, at first, because I thought that it was beneath me. Eventually, though, I realized that the people on Isla Nublar were only trying to help. They had so much faith in me that I decided to make them proud and become a better person. Once I realized how much people liked me when I was nice, I made a vow to do as many nice things as possible for as long as I live."

Claire smiled.

"I think you made the right decision. You've improved an infinite amount since we last saw each other."

Vic gave a wide grin.

"Thank you. That means a lot, coming from an intelligent, driven woman such as yourself."

Claire kicked Owen as he made gagging noises. Vic turned away uncomfortably.

"I wish I had chosen to change earlier. I hope it's not too late to win back your trust."

Claire put her front foot on Vic's paw, much to Owen's chagrin.

"It's not too late."

It was then that Owen decided that he could not allow Vic Hoskins to stay.

***TSJWFEW***

The next morning, Owen and Claire found Vic meditating in the den. He was sitting with his legs crossed. His wrists were resting on his knees, and his index fingers were pinched against his thumbs. When they entered the room, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning!"

Claire blinked.

"You . . . How long have you been up?"

"I woke up at five o'clock sharp. I noticed a blank wall in your family room, so I painted a picture for you."

He pointed to a canvas in the corner of the room. He had drawn a blue dolphin frolicking in the ocean.

"Dolphins are the most beautiful creatures," he sighed, "They're so intelligent and kind. They rescue lost sailors and play with discarded beach balls."

Owen snorted.

"They also violate each other via blowhole. Look it up."

Claire slapped Owen with her tail.

"Ignore him, Vic. He didn't get much sleep last night."

With this, Vic waddled over to his suitcase and pulled out a thick, purple candle. He placed it in Owen's hands.

"This is a blend of lilac and lavender. If you burn it for half an hour every night, you'll find that you'll sleep easier. Just don't leave it lit all night, or you could burn the house down."

Owen clenched his fists.

"Is that a threat?"

Claire pulled him back with her beak.

"Owen, for the love of god, be quiet! Vic is our guest, and I won't have you treating him like garbage."

Owen yanked himself away from her.

"Why _did_ you come here, Vic? Are the others getting tired of your behavior?"

Vic laced his fingers together and looked down.

"No . . ."

Owen frowned and strutted forward with an intimidating stride.

"Then why did they send you here?"

Vic bit his lip.

"I asked them if I could come. I wanted to-"

"Get revenge?" Owen snapped.

"Apologize. I wanted to apologize," Vic said quickly, "I wanted to make up for everything I put you through. It wasn't very nice of me."

Owen growled.

" _Not very nice of you_ , Vic? That's the understatement of the century!"

Claire frowned.

"Owen. Don't do this. Not now."

He ignored her.

"I've got news for you, Vic: you set my raptors loose, killing dozens of innocent men by consequence. You lied about a potentially dangerous animal, causing even more carnage. You kept secrets from your superior, and when he died, you saw it as an opportunity to take over. You didn't care back then, and I don't think you can possibly care now. Even if you do, it doesn't matter. Nothing you do will ever make up for what happened."

Vic stepped backwards.

"I should go."

Claire blocked his path.

"Don't pay attention to Owen. He's just upset because you were indirectly responsible for the deaths of his animals."

"Directly responsible. And they were my family," Owen snapped.

Vic looked away in shame.

"I'm sorry about your raptors. I really am. If I could go back and change-"

Owen punched him.

"Ouchie."

"Don't lie to me, Vic. You don't care about my raptors. You never did."

Claire knocked him to the side with her horn.

"Owen, shut up. I'm sorry, Vic. I wish we could be more hospitable, but Owen's in a bit of a funk right now-"

"It's alright. I understand," Vic muttered as he grabbed his suitcase, "I'll just go back to the other world. You can keep the painting. There are snickerdoodles in the fridge."

He rushed out the front door. Owen ran after him to make sure that he was truly leaving. When he saw the portal close, he sighed with relief. He turned around and noticed that Claire was glaring at him. He crossed his arms and frowned.

"You may think that I was being unfair, but you don't know anything about what Hoskins was like. I once saw him punch a bunny for cuddling up too close to his leg."

Claire stomped her foot.

"Owen, you were being an ass."

"But for good reason."

"Don't try to justify what you did."

Owen scoffed.

"You'll thank me when he goes berserk. Trust me, he'll cause a lot of trouble on the island."

Claire didn't change her expression. She huffed and turned around.

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Owen's jaw dropped.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I warned you, but you didn't listen."

"Yeah, but-"

"My mind is made up."

Owen ran after her.

"Claire-"

"Don't try to use your 'serious face' on me. I'm not going to give in."

Owen blinked.

"I have a serious face?"

"Yeah, the one where you get a little crinkle above your nose."

Owen frowned.

"Yeah, like that," Claire sniggered.

Owen crossed his arms and started walking around her with exaggerated steps.

"Well, my dear, since you refuse to give in to my masculine charms, tell me what I can do to win back your trust."

"Apologize to him."

Owen gagged.

"What's the second option?"

"There is no second option. When you're rude to someone, you have to apologize. Even if that 'someone' is a megalomaniacal criminal."

Owen snapped his fingers.

"Ha! So, you _admit_ that you don't trust him!"

Claire shrugged.

"I don't know. I find it hard to believe that he could pretend to like yoga and chamomile, but it's entirely possible that he's lying. Even so, when someone asks for a second chance, you give it to them."

Owen cocked his head.

"This is about June, isn't it?"

Claire sighed.

"Yeah. I figured it would be hypocritical for me to ignore the fact that the position we're in right now is very similar to . . . _that_. The people who need our help are often the ones we're the most reluctant to associate ourselves with."

"Do you want me to put that on a mug?" Owen sassed.

Claire gave a sardonic smile.

"Are you going to apologize?"

Owen nodded reluctantly.

"It's not easy doing the right thing."

Claire brushed up against him.

"I know. But in the end, it's best to take the high road."

***TSJWFEW***

Vic sat solemnly at the bar by the outdoor stage. He waved the raptor bartender over.

"Another milk, please, Rocky."

The raptor raised his eyebrow.

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

"Haha. Very funny," Vic muttered.

Rocky slid a glass of milk over and leaned against the bar.

"Hey, don't take it too personally. They just can't see how much you've changed."

Vic pouted.

"What if I haven't changed?"

Rocky shrugged.

"I dunno. You seem pretty nice to me. Thanks for the sweater, by the way."

Vic gave a weak smile.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry it didn't fit better. It's hard to knit with three fingers . . . and whatever you call these spikes on my wrists."

"Wrist-fingers?"

Vic twisted his mouth.

"I don't think that's a real term."

Rocky patted his shoulder.

"Well, I think you're awfully kind. And your sweater was awesome."

Vic dipped his finger in the milk idly. He swirled it around, then flicked the liquid away.

"I just wish I had known that Owen would reject my apology before I made him this macramé owl."

He held up an intricate tangle of knots, which had a hole in the middle that served as a window to an old photo of Vic and Owen. Beneath, a cluster of beads spelled out "Best Friends". Rocky blinked.

"That's certainly . . . interesting. You were really expecting him to forgive you, huh?"

Vic nodded.

"Deep down, Owen's a nice guy. I don't blame him for not trusting me, though. If I deserved his forgiveness, I'd have it."

Rocky raised his eyebrows.

"Well, if you want to try again, he's right there."

Vic whipped around and gasped. Owen was walking across the lawn, looking very lost. When he spotted Vic, he jogged over.

"Do you think he's going to punch me again?"

Before Rocky could answer, Owen hopped up on a barstool and pointed at him.

"You're one of the raptors who talks, right?"

Rocky pursed his lips.

"All raptors can talk."

"Right. Can you get us two beers?"

Vic's jaw dropped. Owen gave him a forced smile.

"I wanted to apologize for acting so rude earlier. It wasn't right, and I- HURK!"

Owen choked as Vic gave him a bear hug. His arms and legs flailed around uselessly as he struggled to breathe through his scales.

"Oh, Owen, I'm so glad you've decided to forgive me! Now we can be best friends!"

Owen gasped for air.

"Maybe . . . we can . . . take it one step at a time . . ." he wheezed.

Vic put him down sheepishly.

"Right. Sorry. Does this mean you don't want the owl?"

"Owl? . . ." Owen echoed.

Vic handed him the craft. Owen looked at it with a neutral expression. After a moment, he nodded.

"I can hang it by the fireplace."

Vic grinned and gave him another hug.

"You're the best, Owen. I hope we can see more of each other soon. We can watch movies and eat pizza and get manicures . . . What's your favorite kind of cookie?"

"Um . . . gingerbread?"

"Great! I'll build a replica of your cabin out of gingerbread. I can even make a stegoceratops. Elkay's designed these dinosaur cookie cutters, and-"

Owen waved his hands.

"Vic! Vic! Don't make me anything. I probably don't deserve it, after I treated you so bad."

"Bad _ly_. And don't worry about it. I owe you a lot of favors, since I was directly responsible for the deaths of your raptors."

Owen sighed.

"Indirectly."

Vic put his arm around Owen's shoulder.

"You don't have to be nice about it. I knew that you had a nice little family set up, and I took advantage of that. It wasn't right, and I'm not proud of it."

Owen nodded vacantly. Vic ruffled his hair.

"I know it must have been hard for you. But when you care about someone, they're never truly gone. Their spirit lives on in the universe, soaring over the mountains on the wings of the majestic eagle, echoing through the forests with the howl of a lone wolf, splashing like a beached salmon in the recesses of your mind."

Owen blinked.

"You lost me."

"You're not alone. That's all I'm saying."

Owen nodded.

"Alright. I think I believe you. Not about the spirit thing, but about you being nice. There is no way that the old Vic would be so . . ."

Owen moved his hands vaguely.

"Effervescent?" Vic suggested.

"Prissy."

Vic smiled.

"Either way works for me."

***TSJWFEW***

Henry walked into June's room with a pair of large, black glasses on his snout. He waved his hands and smiled.

"Ta-dah! I decided to get glasses after all."

June looked up and gave the faintest of smiles.

"You look kind of funny."

Henry grinned.

"It's worth it, if I get to read to my daughter."

June hugged his neck.

"They're funny in a good way."

Henry laughed quietly.

"June, I want you to know that you're more important than my pride or my self-respect. I'd go blind a thousand times over if it meant that I could spend more time with you."

June's smile disappeared.

"Am I a burden?"

Henry shook his head quickly.

"No, June. Of course not. I love you."

"But you didn't want glasses, and I made you get them. You felt guilty."

Henry sat down beside her on the bed.

"I didn't get the glasses because you made me; I got them because I wanted to be able to read. I'm sure Ellie will tell you that there's some sort of symbolism behind that."

***TSJWFEW***

"Goddamnit, Henry," Ellie mumbled.

***TSJWFEW***

"Nevertheless, it was _my_ choice. Don't ever feel like you're making me do something I don't want to. A father will do anything for his daughter."

June bit her lip.

"But I said you might need glasses, and now you have them. Does that mean I'm controlling you?"

Henry cocked his head.

"Not unless you have telepathy . . ."

June shook her head fiercely.

"No, that's not what I mean. What if I'm using love to control you?"

Henry ran his hand over her sail.

"Trust me: you're not."

"What if I'm doing it accidentally?"

Henry smiled.

"Sweetie, you worry too much. Just be happy, okay?"

June curled into a ball.

"I don't deserve to be happy."

Henry frowned and picked her up by the armpits. He stared at her for a while before giving her a hug.

"June, I promise that I'll make you better. You have my word."

June gave a small whimper.

"I don't want you to be disappointed."

Henry gave her a reassuring smile.

"June, no matter what, I will never, _ever_ be disappointed in you."

***TSJWFEW***

"Sheesh. Knock on wood!" Elkay exclaimed as she peeked over Ellie's shoulder, "He's gonna jinx it."

Ellie shook her head.

"Don't be so negative. He's probably right."

With a flick of her wrist, Ellie sent her quill into auto-narration. Elkay gave her a funny look.

"You're no longer involved in the story. Why aren't you writing manually?"

Ellie sighed.

"Something is about to reach a boiling point. I don't want to intrude."

"And yet you're okay with oodles of people reading about it?"

Ellie nodded.

"They need to understand."


	57. Beautiful

When Claire returned from a lengthy walk in the woods, she found Owen waiting for her at the dining room table with a giant bowl of spaghetti. He explained that it had just dawned on him that they had only ever had one date, and that seemed absolutely crazy, given the fact that they were married. He vaguely remembered her saying something about Italian food a long time ago, but since they had limited supplies, he had gone with the simplest recipe.

There came a point when they found themselves on opposite ends of the same noodle, and Claire couldn't have hoped for a better situation. As usual, they ended up kissing, but something felt different this time. It was almost like Claire was subconsciously holding herself back. It was more than likely: she didn't feel particularly comfortable kissing Owen in her current state.

Some days were harder than others. Of course, there was always the chance that Claire would forget her unfortunate circumstances for a short amount of time, but for the most part, she was incessantly reminded that she would have to live the rest of her life as a stegoceratops. Of course, she tried to make the best of it, being the ever-resourceful woman that she had always been, but there was always a gentle thrum of regret in the back of her mind. It was true that she'd made the choice to stay this way, but that had been in an extreme situation, and the alternative would be nothing short of shameful. She tried to justify her situation, telling herself that she really had no choice in the matter. It was somewhat true, but she could feel the burning question of "what if" consuming her mind at the most inconvenient of times.

It often happened when she looked in the mirror. She avoided doing so, of course, but every now and then, she would gravitate towards the reflective glass like a moth to the flame. Staring at her unfamiliar shape for a good long time, she'd ponder everything that could have been. Career, innovation, success . . . all impossibilities now. She had nothing left to pursue. After many years of hard, unyielding work, here she was, lumbering to and fro aimlessly, grazing the lawn like a sentient heifer.

The only comfort in this veritable hell was Owen. Kind, sweet Owen who had been blessed with an infinite amount of patience. Claire hated herself for dragging him into her shame-spiral, yet he never showed any bitterness towards her. Even a few days ago, when she had accidentally munched on his hair while she was sleeping (thinking it was the grassy field in her dream), he simply shrugged and washed the saliva out of his coif without a single complaint.

Claire was conflicted on the matter of Owen's tolerance. On one hand, the purely sentimental part of her wanted to believe that he had somehow gotten past the fact that she was a chubby, green hybrid dinosaur. The sensible part of her (and coincidentally, the voice that spoke the loudest) was more inclined to believe that he was secretly hiding his resentment. That, or he was in a state of unfathomably deep denial.

She hated the fact that she loved him. It was selfish, she knew, to allow herself to be tethered to him like the animal she was, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't live without him. Not just because he was her only link to the outside world, but also because she loved him. She really, _really_ loved him. Somehow, he had a way of making her forget what she was . . . for a little while, at least. She needed these moments more than anything else. Without the temporary relief, she was almost certain that she'd be driven to a state of even deeper melancholy, if that was possible.

And so, she kept her mouth shut about the whole ordeal. She was sure that Owen had sensed that she wasn't quite feeling well, but he probably couldn't estimate the precise extent of her torment. He was somewhat naïve, and Claire couldn't help but worry that one day, all of her excuses would come crashing down, and she would have to be completely and brutally honest with him.

The day came sooner than she thought.

Perhaps that was a somewhat misleading statement, for her downfall came not in the daytime, but late at night. She had just woken up from another grazing-dream, and she suddenly felt the weight of her psyche bearing down on her like a cascade of misery. Had she really become such an animal that she no longer dreamed of human pursuits? She would have taken any stress-induced nightmare over this pleasant, pastoral dream. The terrors of rotten teeth and rabid wolves seemed merciful compared to the idea that she could eat grass and enjoy it.

It was then that Owen woke up. Claire was not sure when it happened or how long he had been watching her, but she suddenly became aware of his hand resting on her shoulder. On any other day, she would have wiped away her tears and pretended that nothing was wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to slip back into denial, presently. He had already seen too much, and to ignore this would be childish, at best.

Owen ran his hand down her front leg slowly.

"It's going to be okay."

Claire had almost expected him to ask her what was wrong, but of course, he was more direct than she was. He knew _exactly_ what was wrong, and he wasn't about to dance around the issue.

"Do you need something?" he asked.

Claire took a deep breath to conceal the quaver in her voice.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? We have some celery downstairs-"

He realized that he had said something wrong when Claire pulled away suddenly.

"I'm not hungry."

There was a hint of fear in her voice, and she deduced that Owen didn't know why. He looked rather confused, but he soon shook his head and softened his expression.

"Do you need some medicine to get to sleep?"

Claire climbed out of bed, trying her best not to wince as the mattress shifted dramatically.

"I'll find something. Go back to sleep."

Owen stared at her for a moment, then lay down. Claire made her way towards the door, but stopped when she realized that there was a mirror in the hall. If she were to walk past it, she'd most likely be pushed over the edge. Pausing for a moment, Claire turned and climbed back into bed.

"I think I'll be fine."

She rolled onto her side and nestled herself into the mattress. Owen scooted up closer to her and placed his head under her chin. When she didn't respond, he lifted her right arm and draped it over his shoulder. After a moment, he realized that she was quite limp.

"Claire . . . Do you want to talk?"

She felt her heart tremble.

"I don't see what there is to talk about. I'm big and green and ugly and my life is ruined."

The words flew off of her tongue before she could stop them. She held Owen's gaze for a few seconds before closing her eyes tight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"What can I do to help?"

Claire shook her head.

"Nothing. You can't. I'm doomed to live this way until I die."

Owen ran his hand down the side of her face sadly.

"It's not _all_ bad . . ."

Claire frowned.

"I don't see how you can say that. Look at me."

"You look fine."

"I'M A DINOSAUR, OWEN!"

He shrunk away as she fumed. Slowly, she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"I've lost everything. My career, my status, my work . . ."

"What about me?"

"You can go back whenever you want."

"No, I mean, you still have me."

Claire scoffed bitterly.

"For how long?"

"Forever. I love you."

Claire searched his face for a trace of insincerity, but found none. He looked into her eyes with the same acceptance that she had come to expect from him. Claire felt her guilt swelling until it seemed ready to consume her.

"Owen . . . You still have a chance. Go make something of yourself. You don't have to stay here with me."

Owen frowned.

"I _want_ to stay here with you. I have nowhere better to be. I'm happy."

Claire looked away.

"I don't see how you _can_ be."

"I love you."

"You shouldn't. I'm hideous."

"You're beautiful."

"That's a lie."

Owen put his hand on her cheek.

"Claire . . . I think you're beautiful."

She looked into his eyes with pain.

"Owen, you don't have to lie to me."

He frowned and placed his fist under his chin pensively. After a second, he gave a curt nod.

"Alright. Roll onto your back."

Claire blinked.

"What?"

"Just do it."

She rolled over, letting her plates fold outwards. When she was flat on her back, Owen climbed up on her chest and leaned towards her face.

"Kiss me. Use tongue."

Claire didn't have time to question his oddly brief instructions, for he swiftly pressed his lips against her beak. She did as she was told, letting her tongue slip into his mouth, feeling his much smaller organ responding upon contact. They sat this way for a few seconds, eyes closed, adjusting their angle every so often. Claire felt Owen's hand wandering down her neck. He pulled away without warning, leaving her hanging for a few seconds before she licked her beak and snapped out of her daze. Owen smiled and gave her a quick nod before sliding down her belly.

"Alright. I'm ready."

Claire leaned her head back and sighed.

"I have no idea what you're on about. You don't have to be so mysterious. What are you planning, Owen?"

She heard a light rustling. Ignoring it, she went on.

"Can you explain to me what you're up to? I don't understand what your goal is."

She didn't have to wait for an answer, for at that very moment, he leaned forward and-

Claire craned her neck in alarm.

"Owen! What are you doing?!"

Owen's eyes flitted down to where their bodies now met.

"Uh . . . What does it _look_ like I'm doing?"

Claire stared at him, her mouth agape.

"Owen, you can't _do_ that!"

He blinked.

"Why not?"

"I'm a stegoceratops!"

Owen frowned in puzzlement, then gave an understanding nod.

"Right, right . . . So, should I come at you from the back, then, or-"

Claire slapped her forehead.

"Owen. We can't do this. Period."

He frowned.

"Why not?"

Claire closed her eyes.

"You know why."

Owen reached forward and held her cheek.

"Claire . . . It's still you."

She looked away.

"Is it? I'm not so sure . . ."

They remained silent for a very long time. Slowly, Owen ran his hand down her side.

"I love you, Claire."

She blinked away her tears.

"I love you too, but this won't work."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"Claire . . ."

"I'm ending this," she said, pulling away from him, "It was nice while it lasted, but I think we have to face the truth."

Owen crawled across the bed as she climbed down. He ran in front of her before she could leave the room.

"Claire, don't do this. I love you. I love you so much . . ."

She pushed him away with the side of her horn.

"It's time to move on."

She opened the door using her beak and lumbered down the hall. Owen tried to pull her back by the tail, but she was too strong.

"Claire! . . . Claire, stop! We need to _talk_ about this."

"There's nothing to talk about. It's over."

She continued to plod along until she reached the mirror. She froze as it entered her line of sight. It put her into a sort of trance, and she found that she could not move an inch. Even in this petrified state, tears flowed freely down her face. Owen, giving up on trying to hold her back, instead crouched down by her head. He stared into the mirror as she did, taking in the unusual sight.

Claire was no longer immobile. She had begun to tremble.

"What can I do to make you realize that you're beautiful?" Owen asked quietly, still staring at the mirror.

Claire gulped and closed her eyes.

"You can leave me, and never come back. I want to forget what I was. I want to be nothing."

Owen sat down in front of her.

"Claire, you will _never_ be nothing."

Giving up, Claire lowered herself to the ground, rolling over in defeat. She rested her head in Owen's lap, avoiding the area that, given its current appearance, would prove to be rather sensitive.

They sat quietly for a while, and Owen stroked her muzzle. Claire didn't care that he was treating her like a horse. It would be better, she thought, if she could become a stupid animal who didn't have enough of a mind to feel regret. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into a relaxed state. Her mind clouded over, and she felt at peace. Owen leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She tensed up slightly, not appreciating this disturbance in her state of hopeless acceptance. She continued to breathe slowly as Owen ran his hand down her frill. He pressed his forehead against her brow and spoke quietly.

"I know you think it's over, but it's really not. I love you. I love you as fiercely as I did when you were human, maybe even more. You may not think you're still you, but I know that you are. You haven't changed. Not in the slightest. When I look at you, I don't see a stegoceratops. I see Claire. You're intelligent, you're funny, and you are, without a doubt, beautiful. I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me. I wish I could make you understand."

Slowly, Claire reached her front foot forward and placed it on his knee. Owen wrapped his arms around her neck and began to cry.

"Can you try? Can you try to understand?"

Claire rumbled sadly. Owen squeezed her.

"Claire?"

She turned her head a little.

"Say something."

She took a deep breath.

"I love you."

Owen grew more relaxed, relieved that she had responded. Claire stood up and steadied her knees.

"I don't think I'll ever understand how you can still love me, but I believe you. I think that's enough."

Owen smiled.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that."

They shared a hug. It lasted for exactly the right amount of time. When they pulled apart, Claire looked down and raised her eyebrow.

"How the hell are you maintaining that?"

Owen smiled coyly.

"Well, I guess I must be attracted to you."

Claire nodded.

"Yeah . . . That's kind of weird. Are you really turned on by a stegoceratops?"

Owen grinned.

"Not at all. But a stego-claire-atops? . . . That's a different story."

Claire smiled and shepherded him back to the room with her tail. She closed the door behind them, and hopped up on the bed.

"So."

"So."

Claire smiled.

"I think it should be fine. If you're still interested, that is . . ."

He was.

What followed was a half-hour of experimentation. When they got the basic mechanics figured out, the rest of the motions fell into place. It wasn't completely ordinary (Claire did, in fact, moo a couple of times by accident, and Owen's lips could only reach up to her belly), but for the most part, it was blissful, if a little strange.

When it was over, Owen nestled himself in Claire's arms, and this time, she made an effort to pull him closer. They basked in the afterglow of the act, sighing happily and feeling their hearts (one beating slightly slower than the other) pressing up against each other. Claire smiled and nibbled at Owen's hair playfully, and he nipped her elbow. He shifted so that they were facing each other and ran his hand down her cheek.

"So . . . How was it?"

Claire kissed him.

"Beautiful."


	58. Today I Learned

The next morning, Claire awoke to the sound of a cheerful song. Owen pushed through the door with her breakfast on a tray.

"Good morning! Good morning! Sunbeams will soon smile through. Good morning, good morning, to you!"

He punctuated his song with a kiss. Claire smiled and rubbed her front horn against his nose.

"Good morning, Owen. You're looking very chipper . . ."

"So's your breakfast."

Indeed, the oranges and banana on the tray were arranged in a smiley face. Claire grinned and nuzzled Owen's chest.

"I'm really glad we worked things out."

"Yeah. I was starting to worry that you were serious about leaving me."

Claire gave a sad smile.

"I don't think I'd ever want to leave you for real. But that just means you're stuck with me."

Owen hugged her neck.

"I'm glad I'm stuck with you."

"Even though I'm a dinosaur?"

Owen nodded.

"No one said this was going to be easy, but it's what I want. I love you."

They shared a kiss. Claire took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Owen, I want to apologize. I know I'm always going on and on about how much I hate myself, and sometimes I forget that you have problems too."

"Oh, Claire, don't worry about me. I can get by."

Claire ran her front foot over his head.

"Even so, I don't mean to be so . . . gloomy. I guess I just worry that if I get too comfortable with myself, I'll lose what made me human."

Owen frowned sadly.

"If being human means feeling bad about yourself, I don't think it's worth holding onto."

Claire sighed.

"I don't know. I can't imagine ever liking the way I look."

Owen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he snapped his fingers.

"I have an idea. Wait here."

He sprung out of bed and pattered down the stairs. Claire looked down at her smiling breakfast, trying to decide whether to eat it while he was away. She placed her front foot on the banana and turned it upside-down so that it was a frown. With a doleful sigh, she swallowed it in one gulp. Owen returned shortly after, holding a small book.

"I found this in the basement while I was cleaning it out. I've been saving it for a special occasion."

Claire cocked her head.

"What is it?"

"A diary."

Claire blinked.

"Okay . . . But how does that help me?"

Owen placed it in her lap.

"Write down everything you don't like about yourself."

Claire laughed.

"That'll take forever."

"Then you'd better get started."

Owen handed her a stegoceratops-sized pen. She gave him a sardonic look and started writing. He peeked over her shoulder while she worked.

 _I hate my horns. They get in the way whenever I try to turn my head._

 _I hate my frill. It's heavy and it makes it hard for me to walk through small doors._

 _I hate my scales. They're green and ugly._

Claire could feel her eyes prickling. She continued to write, ignoring the sensation.

 _I hate my beak. It clicks when I eat, and whatever's inside of it causes me to moo._

 _I hate my feet. They aren't useful in the slightest, and I have to ask the dragons to make me special tools so that I can accomplish the most menial of tasks._

 _I hate my belly._

Claire stopped writing. She had been fighting back tears of frustration, but now, they were starting to flow. She sniffled helplessly and closed the book. Owen put his hand on her shoulder.

"Keep writing. I promise it will help."

Claire gave him a bitter glare and turned back to the diary. Her pen dug deeper into the page as she grew more and more spiteful.

 _I hate my belly. It's massive and wobbly and it makes me hungry all the time._

 _I hate my plates. They clatter around and weigh me down._

 _I hate my tail. It's gross enough having an extra appendage, but it's covered in spikes, which means I'm a danger to everyone around me. Everything about being a dinosaur is terrible. Of all the animals I could have ended up being, a stegoceratops is the worst possible one. I am repulsive. The world would be better off without me._

Claire dropped the pen. She flung the diary to the side and let the tears flow down her cheeks. Owen leaned against her, then stood up. As he walked across the room, he picked up a regular pen and the discarded diary. He sat down on a chair in the corner of the room and began to write. Claire sniffed angrily, then buried her face in the covers, placing her front feet over her eyes. She could feel her massive tears making the mattress wet. Everything was bigger when she was stegoceratops, especially her problems. Now that she had written down most (not all) of the things she hated about herself, she realized just how little confidence she had left. She had thought that she was over her self pity, but . . .

Claire was snapped out of her reverie when Owen sat down beside her and tapped her shoulder. He handed her the diary and flipped to the page where he had started writing. As Claire began to read, she felt the knot in her stomach fade away.

 _I like your horns. They're long and majestic._

 _I like your frill. When the sun shines behind your head, it glows like stained glass._

 _I like your scales. They're radiant and shiny._

 _I like your beak. It's very good for kissing, and when you moo, it means you're enjoying yourself, which makes me even happier._

 _I like your feet. I can tell where you are by your footsteps, and I take comfort in knowing that you'll always be near._

 _I_ _love_ _your belly. It's warm and cuddly and good for hugs._

 _I like your plates. When you have enough courage, they help you fly._

 _I like your tail. Whenever it swings back and forth, I know you're happy. The best part about it is that it's covered in spikes, and one of those spikes carries a ring. That one is my favorite. I know you think no one likes you because you're a dinosaur, but that's not true. You're one of a kind. There is only one Stegoclaireatops, and I'm lucky enough to be her husband. All of your friends are proud to know you. You are beautiful. The world is a better place, because you are in it._

Claire placed the diary on the bed and gave Owen a hug. He ran his hand down her back slowly.

"If you ever need to be reminded of why you're the best, just turn to this page. I have so many reasons to like you. Now you have them in writing."

Claire smiled. She was still crying, but now, it was out of joy.


	59. Time

Like so many adventures, it began with a knock at the door. Claire and Owen were having supper, and neither of them were expecting guests. To be safe, Claire hid in the closet. It was possible that the person at the door was Barry or Humphrey or some other friend of theirs who visited from time to time, but if it happened to be someone from the nearby town, Claire couldn't allow herself to be seen.

The stranger was, in fact, not Barry or Humphrey: it was Vic Hoskins. He stood in the doorway, dripping with rain. He had a panicked look on his face. Owen invited him in, and he shook himself off. He then placed a strange, white stone in Owen's hands.

"I found a way to make up for everything I've done."

Owen blinked in surprise.

"Vic, you've already given us oodles of potted plants and recipe books-"

Vic shook his head.

"No, you don't understand. This is different. I stole it from the dragons."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"You _stole_ something? From _dragons_?"

Vic shuffled his feet.

"I'm not happy about it either, but I owe you big time. You see, since I made you lose part of your family, I thought I might be able to help you win back someone else."

Owen frowned in confusion.

"What are you saying?"

Vic gave him a serious look.

"If you use this properly, you can travel through time."

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay soared after Ellie as she dove through the dark clouds. They had crossed over into the Jurassic World in the middle of a severe thunderstorm, and it wasn't pleasant flying-weather. Elkay jumped in surprise as a bolt of lightning cracked nearby. The water weighed down her wings as she flew, though she was strong enough to carry objects thirty times her size. It was the wind that gave her the most trouble, and considering she had featherless wings, she couldn't even begin to imagine how Ellie was holding up.

"Slow down! You're going to crash!" Elkay shrieked.

"We can't let them go back in time. They'll ruin everything!"

Elkay huffed and puffed as she flapped her wings harder.

"But they can fix the past . . ."

"If they knew their future, they wouldn't _want_ to!"

Elkay screeched in fear as a bolt of lightning crossed the sky in front of her, knocking her back.

"Ellie, this is dangerous! Just use your magic to fix it."

"I don't have enough," Ellie shouted with a quaver in her voice, "Just help me get to the-"

Suddenly, a pillar of light shot up into the air. Ellie fell back, temporarily blinded. When the beam disappeared, her eyes went wide.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

She dove down towards Owen and Claire's cabin. The two of them had disappeared, but Vic was slowly making his way out the front door. Ellie tackled him to the ground and snarled.

" _Where did they go?_ "

***TSJWFEW***

Owen tied his outer shirt around Claire's beak, covering her front horn. She made a gagging noise as he tightened the knot.

"Are you sure you can tolerate my sweaty shirt in your mouth all day?" he asked.

Claire snorted.

"Are you kidding? It's always been my dream to have an article of clothing stuffed in my face."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Well, we can't have them seeing your front horn."

Claire shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Wouldn't they be more willing to follow me if I look like a queen?"

Owen shook his head.

"No, they'll think you're here because of the elephants."

"You made sure that we came before that, right?"

"Yes, but they never knew the exact date. As far as they're concerned, the arrival of the queen signals impending war."

Claire sighed.

"Alright, but if things go wrong, I'm telling them who I really am."

Owen nodded.

"Fair enough. Are you ready to go down there?"

"Yes, but _you_ aren't."

Owen frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not a jerboa anymore. If they see a human, they're going to freak."

Owen rubbed his chin. After a second, he ran off into the jungle. When he came back, he was covered in mud and leaves. Claire rotated her head slowly in confusion. Owen spread his arms.

"I'm a Yeti."

Claire snorted.

"Owen, that's not gonna work."

"The stegoceratopses aren't particularly smart. It'll work."

Claire shook her head.

"You know, for a plan we popped out in five minutes, it's really kind of godawful."

Owen stepped past her.

"Well, we _really kind of_ don't have a lot of time to pull this off. If Ellie tries to stop us . . ."

Claire gave a curt nod.

"Right. Let's go down and save my friends."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire knew that she would be seeing the formerly-deceased stegoceratopses in person, but to experience it for real was utterly shocking. Everyone she had lost was suddenly lumbering to and fro, completely unaware that someone was going to bring about their demise. Claire couldn't help but shrink away in shame as she walked past them, even though they had no reason to hate her at the moment.

"You have to be confident," Owen stated as he marched beside her, "If you walk up to them with your tail between your legs, they'll never listen to you."

Claire squeaked.

"It's just so strange . . . Maybe I ought to tell them who I am."

Owen shook his head.

"We'll try our original plan first."

Claire gave an uncertain rumble.

"Alright, but if something goes wrong-"

"We'll tell them. I know."

Claire gave a look of consternation as they passed by her old cave. Owen placed his hand on her side.

"Don't think about it. By the time we're done here, it will have never happened."

When they walked over the crest of the next hill, they saw a very familiar face. Rock was grazing by a small pond in the field below. At least, it _looked_ like Rock. He was a lot younger, and both of his horns were intact. Claire approached him slowly. It was like being near a ghost. He lifted his head and snorted when he saw them coming.

"I've never seen _you_ before."

Claire breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm Cl- . . . Clarice. This is my friend . . . Yetiman."

Owen crossed his arms.

"My parents were abnormally cruel in naming me."

Rock narrowed his eyes.

"Alright. What do you want?"

Claire cleared her throat.

"We've come to tell you that it's safe to leave the valley."

Rock blinked.

"And? . . ."

"We're going to lead you away from here," Owen stated.

Rock scoffed.

"Sounds too good to be true. You'll have to take it up with our leader, I suppose."

Claire did a double-take.

"Wait . . . You're not the leader?"

Rock shook his head.

"I'm flattered that you would think that, but the real leader is Earth. I can bring you to him. I have nothing better to do."

After a moment, Claire nodded.

"Alright. Show us the way."

Rock began to lumber off. Owen and Claire trailed after him, staying far enough to whisper without being heard.

"Rock isn't the leader, Owen. Do you think we've already changed the past?"

Owen looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"I don't see how that's possible."

"It's the butterfly effect," Claire insisted, "Just by being here, we've changed the continuity of this timeline."

Owen shook his head.

"That's impossible. We've been here for a half-hour, tops. What could we have done to make it so that Rock isn't the leader?"

Claire bit her lower beak.

"It makes no sense. Still, we're bound to change _something_."

"What if we erase our own destinies?" Owen asked grimly.

"As long as my friends are safe, I don't care what happens to us."

They entered a hidden clearing in the woods. In the middle was a small (by stegoceratops standards) den. The structure was covered in wildflowers, and a thick web of bramble protected the entrance. Rock jogged over and stuck his head inside.

"Earth? We have visitors."

A deep voice laughed from the depths of the cave.

"That's very funny, Rock."

He shook his head.

"No, really. They're from the outside. They say it's safe to leave."

Rock backed up, and a dark green stegoceratops stepped out of the den. He looked at Claire, then at Owen.

"You're from the outside?"

Owen nodded.

"We've come to lead you to safety. The valley is no place to live. Outside, there's a stretch of land untouched by man. You'll be far safer there."

Earth shook his head.

"I can't just lead my people into unknown territory. Your offer is tempting, but I'm afraid that I'll have to scout it out myself."

Claire winced. If they wasted too much time, Ellie might find a way to stop them from succeeding in their plan.

"Can't you just trust us?" she whispered.

"Sorry, no," Earth said sternly, "My people are more important than anything in the world. It's my duty to protect them until the Stegoceratops Queen arrives."

Rock snorted.

"You honestly believe in those fairy tales? Good luck with that."

Claire's jaw dropped. Rock was acting nothing like he had when they'd first arrived in the valley. Hadn't he been one of the most devoted supporters of the legend?

"I have faith in our destiny, Rock," Earth said, "But if these newcomers have a way to ensure that we are safe, maybe I ought to scout it out."

"I'm coming too," Rock said.

"And I."

They turned and saw a golden female step into the clearing. She smiled at Claire.

"If these friends come from the outside, they know better than all of us what's out there. I trust them."

Earth shook his head.

"Sun, you can't come with us. It might be dangerous."

Sun gave a musical laugh.

"I'll be fine. I'm not letting my pigheaded husband make life-changing decisions on his own. Behind every successful man is a woman telling him when he's being too stubborn."

Earth rolled his eyes.

"Very well. You can come."

Sun smiled and leaned against him lovingly.

"I knew you'd see things my way."

***TSJWFEW***

When they reached the exit to the valley, Claire could tell that something was horribly wrong. Where there should have been a cave, there was a massive pile of boulders that reached all the way up the side of the cliff. Claire placed her front foot on one of the stones and frowned.

"I don't understand. There should have been a tunnel here."

Earth gave her a confused look.

"Did you come in this way?"

Claire shook her head.

"No, but . . . Wait a minute!"

She dug her horn into the pile. When she removed it, several rocks cascaded downwards. Claire smiled and looked up at the cliff.

"The exit is here. We just have to dig it out."

Earth placed his front foot on a collection of pebbles and twisted his beak.

"That would take an eternity, even if we worked together."

Claire looked up at a massive boulder that was teetering at the very peak of the cliff.

"Not necessarily."

***TSJWFEW***

The sun was blazing by noon. Claire grunted as she pulled herself up onto a large boulder, feeling the heat creeping across her scales nauseously. They were making progress up the side of the cliff, but stegoceratopses weren't known for being particularly nimble. Earth and Rock were keeping up with her, but Owen was trailing behind with Sun, who wasn't a very good climber. Claire turned around to check on them, then kept moving.

"Don't you think you're going a little fast?" Earth asked.

"No!" Claire snapped, "I think we're not going fast enough!"

She slipped, and a large rock was dislodged from the mountain. Sun leapt out of the way as it rolled by.

"I can't keep up!" she shouted, "Maybe I should head back."

Earth nodded.

"I think we all should. What's the point of opening this tunnel? We're perfectly safe in the valley."

Claire shook her head.

"No. No, you're not. You have to trust me."

"Why _should_ we?" Rock huffed, "You just showed up from out of nowhere, telling us that we should leave our ancestral home. Call me crazy, but I think you might be lying to us."

Claire frowned. She took a deep breath and dug her toes into the gravel.

"You want to know why you should trust me? I'll show you."

As she reached up to untie the shirt that was concealing her horn, Claire heard a deep crack. It was like a boat moving through ice. The group looked up at the peak with wide eyes. The giant boulder was tilting forward. They were in its path.

"Everyone, get to the side," Owen said calmly, "We can make it out. Just don't panic."

Suddenly, the rock slammed down against the cliff, creating an avalanche. They all ran down the mountainside as fast as their legs could take them. Halfway down, Sun gave a pained cry.

"My foot! It's stuck!"

Earth rushed forward and tried to pull her to safety. He managed to get her leg free just as the largest boulder came crashing down. Claire didn't see what happened next. Something hit her head, and the world went dark.

***TSJWFEW***

"Claire? . . . Claire? . . . Wake up . . ."

Claire opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out Owen's face.

"Owen . . . What happened?"

He put his hand on her cheek.

"There was an avalanche. You got knocked out."

Claire shook her head dizzily. She was lying on a pile of scattered pebbles. The rockslide had carried her to the base of the cliff, and . . .

"We opened the tunnel!" Claire gasped, "Owen, we did it! We-"

He shook his head. Claire's smile disappeared.

"What's wrong?"

"They didn't make it."

Claire covered her mouth.

"Oh, god . . ."

Suddenly, there was a loud fit of coughing, and Rock pulled himself out of a cluster of loose debris. He shook himself off, sending dust into the air. When he turned his head, Claire was horrified to see that his left horn was broken.

"Earth . . . Sun . . ." he wheezed.

Owen ran over and helped him up. He pushed him away and started shouting.

"Earth! . . . Sun! . . ."

"They're gone," Owen said quietly.

Rock's face fell. He looked down, and for a moment, he didn't move a muscle. Then, he turned to Claire and lowed in fury.

"You did this! You killed them!"

Claire backed up quickly.

"No! I didn't mean to! I just wanted to open the passage . . ."

Rock snarled.

"It's open now. If you know what's good for you, you'll walk out of this valley and never return."

Claire started hyperventilating.

"But- but the others-"

"The others are staying _here_ ," Rock declared, slamming his foot against the ground, "We are going to live in this valley and wait for our queen."

Claire frowned and tossed her head.

"You can't do that! They won't be safe!"

Rock growled.

"They'll be safe in my care. I'm their leader now."

Claire dashed forward and locked horns with him.

"You have no right to tell them what to do."

Rock flung her to the side with ease.

"Earth was my brother. I'm next in line."

Claire backed away, breathing heavily.

"Rock . . ."

He glared at her.

"Leave this place . . . before you do any more damage."

After a beat, Claire turned away with tears in her eyes. Owen followed her as she ran out of the valley for the last time.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire didn't remember returning to her own time, but at some point, she did. It had stopped raining, but the sky was still overcast. Owen rubbed the mud off of his face as they walked up to their cabin. Neither of them spoke. They walked through the front door with solemn faces. Owen sat down on the chesterfield in the living room and watched the empty fireplace. After what felt like an eternity, Claire took a deep breath and walked up to him.

"We shouldn't have gone back."

Owen closed his eyes, and two tears ran down his cheeks.

"I should have known that there was no way to bring them back."

Claire wrapped her tail around him as he put his head in his hands.

"It's my fault, Owen. I thought we could do this."

He started shaking.

"I wanted to save her. I wanted to save Flower."

Claire held him against her chest as he sobbed.

"We ruined her life, Claire."

"No, no, we didn't . . ." she whispered gently.

Owen coughed and buried his face in her scales.

"You're wrong. We've done a terrible thing. Earth was Rock's brother."

"So?"

Owen took a shaky breath.

"Flower was Rock's niece."


	60. Tammy-Lynn

It was a long time before Owen and Claire got over what had happened during their adventure traveling through time. They expected Ellie to punish them somehow, but she never did. She probably knew that they had suffered enough.

But life went on, as it often does, and the tragedy was numbed with each passing week. Claire even found herself enjoying her day-to-day activities, which now consisted of repairing the house whenever it was needed. She was healthier too, not just because she was exercising more, but also because she was allowing herself to eat. She'd often graze for an hour each morning, and she'd be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy it. There was something about moist grass that was soothing to her animal self, and she was in no state to turn down the guilty pleasure.

Speaking of guilty pleasures, Claire's love life was going steady. Well, except for when she went into heat. Then things _really_ got interesting. About once a month, she'd become a raging ball of hormones, which was somewhat akin to being drunk and lustful and dumber than a bag of hammers. The lesson she took from this was that, in order to like herself, she needed to let go. It was hard to do so in regular situations, as her conscience kept telling her that if she started to normalize being a dinosaur, she'd be no better than the animal she feared being.

Well, whatever the case, things seemed to be going okay. But then they weren't. Owen was going into town for longer and longer spells, and when he came back, he sometimes smelled of perfume. Claire didn't want to believe her instincts, but denying the issue would only make matters worse.

One night, a night when Claire detected a trace of candy-scented chemicals on Owen, she stepped in front of him with a deep frown.

"You forgot to buy grain."

"The general store was closed."

"You've been out since three."

"I got sidetracked."

"With whom?"

"Friends."

"Which friends?"

"From the bar."

"Bar people aren't friends."

"Yes, they are."

"So, you just meet them at the bar?"

"I can't exactly bring them back here."

"Why not?"

"I'd have to hide you."

"Why don't you?"

"I don't want to put you through that."

"Are you cheating on me?"

Owen froze. He turned around very slowly.

"What?"

"Are you cheating on me?" Claire repeated.

Owen gave his 'serious face'.

"Claire, I'm not cheating on you."

"You could be lying."

"I wouldn't lie to you."

"You would if you were cheating."

Owen knelt down in front of her.

"Claire, I would never, ever, _ever_ cheat on you. You know me better than that."

Claire snorted and tossed her head as he tried to touch her cheek.

"You're lying!"

Owen stood up and crossed his arms.

"Claire, what's wrong?"

She stomped her foot.

"Don't play dumb with me!"

"Something's up. Why are you acting this way?"

Claire felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm not acting _any_ way! I'm just upset because you're cheating on me," she croaked.

Owen shook his head.

"I'm not cheating on you."

"YOU ARE!" she cried in frustration.

He felt her forehead.

"You're warmer than usual, but I don't think it's a fever. Do you need to lie down?"

She knocked him to the side with her horn.

"Just go away! I don't want you to be here right now!"

Owen stood up and grabbed her by the horns.

"Claire, this isn't normal. You've been acting really strange lately. Are you sick?"

She _did_ feel sick. Nauseous, to be precise. The thought of Owen cheating was making her _physically sick_. Or maybe it was the smell coming off of his clothes.

"I can smell perfume on you, Owen," Claire whispered, "Who were you with?"

Owen frowned.

"First of all, you're a dinosaur, so you smell a lot of things. Second, it's possible that it just rubbed off on me by accident."

"During what?"

Owen's frown deepened.

"I'm not cheating on you, Claire."

She snorted and tossed her head.

"I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me."

Owen tried to stay behind her, but she swiped her tail at him. He backed off resentfully.

"Fine. Don't wander too far. If you get lost-"

"SHUT UP!"

***TSJWFEW***

Claire wandered very far, indeed. By the time she realized where she was headed, she was already in the other world. She didn't like to go to Isla Nublar alone, because it was populated by things that would probably enjoy eating her. Nevertheless, she marched across the island until she came to the Visitors' Centre Palace. Once there, she climbed a flight of stairs and knocked on a large double-door on the second level. When it opened, she saw Ellie rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Claire? What the hell-"

"I need to know if Owen is cheating on me."

Ellie groaned.

"It's four forty-five."

Claire bit her lower beak.

"I need to know. Just tell me so I can leave."

Ellie sighed and looked at the clock.

"Tell you what: why don't I send you back to around three, and you can spy on him or something."

Claire frowned.

"How is a three-ton dinosaur supposed to-"

"Stop rounding it up."

"Well, I've gained a lot of weight, recently."

Ellie put her hand on her head as she leaned against the doorway, mussing her hair.

"Right. I think I know how to have you spy on him, but I have to make sure it won't interfere with your . . . biology."

Ellie waved her hand in a sloppy way. Claire wondered if she was conjuring a spell.

"Okay, it won't hurt . . . anything," Ellie muttered, "But speaking of biology, there's something I need to do."

She placed both of her hands on Claire's horns, and they began to glow white. When the light faded, Claire frowned in confusion.

"They ache."

Ellie nodded drowsily.

"Yeah. They'll do that for a while. Just deal with it."

Claire twisted her beak.

"Fine. Can you send me to spy on Owen now?"

Ellie nodded.

"You're going back in three . . . two . . . one . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"-later. I'm going into town."

"For how long?"

"Not sure. Don't wait up."

Claire was back in her own living room, and so was her past self. Owen was just walking out the door. Nothing unusual about that. Claire, however, was about the size of a fly. Ellie had probably shrunken her down for spying purposes. Of course, if she really wanted to help her, she shouldn't have left her on top of the coffee table.

Claire grunted and set her plates to flutter-mode. To her surprise, they carried her off with ease. Part of why she didn't fly that often was because it drained her energy like crazy. Maybe being smaller somehow changed that.

In any case, there was no time for speculation. Claire perched herself on Owen's shoulder to see what exactly had happened that day.

***TSJWFEW***

Their first stop was at the grocery store. Owen bought three packs of veggie burgers, knowing Claire would eat them all. He also bought some green apple soap, which Claire had not asked for. She found herself getting all warm and fuzzy on the inside, and promptly shook her head to snap herself out of it. After that, Owen purchased the items and made his way back to the truck. Claire held onto the scruff of his shirt. He was awfully bouncy when he walked.

The next stop was the flower shop. Owen bought a dozen red roses. Claire didn't remember him giving them to her . . . probably because he was giving them to someone else. But then Owen asked the woman at the counter if she had any more edible flowers, which disproved Claire's theory. Well, unless he was having his affair with a goat.

After a very long day of snooping and spying, Claire came up with . . . nothing. Not a single scrap of evidence against him. Maybe he was telling the truth when he said that the scent had rubbed off on him . . . No, that wasn't true. Claire couldn't smell it now. She could smell the veggie burgers, though, and they were driving her crazy. She was either starving or having insane cravings.

But then everything took a turn for the worse. As the sun began to set, Owen made his way to the bar. He sat down on a stool and ordered a beer. He hadn't bought grain at the general store, but it should have been open at this hour. Claire soon realized why he had shirked his responsibility when two men came strolling over. They were clearly Owen's friends, and they all sat down to chat for a while. So that's what he was up to: he was socializing with his buddies. That meant he was telling the truth. Growing tired of balancing on Owen's neck, Claire climbed up to his coif and nestled herself in his hair. It was a miracle that he didn't feel her moving around . . . that, or magic. Owen's friends left soon after, and he decided to finish his beer.

It was then that a woman appeared. She had bleach-blonde hair, big doe eyes, and . . . well . . . there was no way _those_ were real. Claire hated her from the moment she laid eyes upon her dopey smile. It was the kind of grin that made her look like she was constantly chewing gum. Claire hoped to god that Owen wasn't cheating with this woman. Quite honestly, of all the people she'd seen today, this ditz was the trashiest.

As she drew near, however, Claire recognized the reek of her perfume.

"Hi, Owen."

"Hello, Tammy-Lynn."

Claire felt her heart sink. Obviously, they had met each other before. Another strike.

"What's new?"

Owen gave a faint smile.

"Nothing much. I have a bunch of veggie burgers waiting in the truck, so I'll have to make this quick."

Claire cringed as Tammy-Lynn pouted in an intentionally sexy way.

"You oughta stay longer. You shouldn't drive drunk."

Owen laughed.

"I never have more than one glass. I can handle it."

Tammy-Lynn leaned closer.

"What's your hurry?"

Owen shrugged.

"Like I said, I have veggie burgers waiting in the truck."

She began fiddling with his collar, and he backed away.

"Why don't you spend the night here? You can hang out with the guys-"

Owen raised his hands.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have to get home."

"To this mysterious wife you never talk about?"

RED FLAG! RED FLAG!

Claire felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. She burrowed deeper into Owen's hair, hoping to make herself invisible forever.

"I've told you plenty."

"Why have we never seen her?"

"She likes to stay at home."

Tammy-Lynn's high-pitched laugh was like rusty daggers.

"You know what _I_ think? _I_ think she doesn't exist."

Owen snorted and looked away.

"Oh, she exists all right."

"Then why don't you ever bring her into town?"

"I'd _like_ to . . ."

Owen shifted uneasily on his seat.

"But I can't. She's a very private person."

Tammy-Lynn arched her back so that her chest was uncomfortably close to Owen.

"You deserve someone fun."

"Claire is fun."

" _Claire_? Is _that_ her name? She sounds like a stick in the mud. I'll bet she's terrible in bed."

With this, Claire charged forward like an angry bull. She flew towards Tammy-Lynn's face (and for the record, "Tammy-Lynn" was a much worse name than "Claire") and tried to stab her eyes out. The tramp heard the buzzing of her plates, and before Claire could react, she was swatted to the side by a giant hand. She fell into Owen's drink with a small splash. Claire broke the surface of the beer and started sputtering. Her eyes were stinging from the alcohol, but she quickly rubbed them and focused on the conversation.

"-shouldn't say that about my wife. It's inappropriate. And she's not a stick in the mud."

"Then why doesn't she ever come into town? Is she spit-ugly?"

Owen clenched his fists.

"She's gorgeous, and I'd appreciate it if you would stop saying bad things about her."

Claire's heart fluttered. She felt stupid for ever doubting Owen in the first place. Why had she ever believed that brave, sweet Owen was cheating on her? She was so proud of him! He was defending her, even though she had been a jerk . . . or was _going to_ be a jerk. She'd have to apologize to him about that.

And then something terrible happened. Tammy-Lynn grabbed Owen's shirt and pulled him forward for a kiss. It didn't last long, because Owen yanked himself away. Claire gasped in shock as she trod water . . . well, as she trod beer.

"We can't see each other anymore," Owen said, wiping his mouth.

Tammy-Lynn crossed her arms.

"Why not?"

"Because you obviously have a romantic fixation on me, and I'm just not interested."

Tammy-Lynn frowned deeply.

"Am I not good enough for you?"

Owen's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"I'm married!"

She scoffed.

"Yeah, to some stick in the mud who never comes out of her house!"

Owen gave her an intimidating glare.

"Don't you dare talk about my wife that way."

It took all of Claire's willpower not to give a loud whoop. Instead, she fluttered out of the beer and shook herself off.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Tammy-Lynn sneered, "You come here and socialize with people two or three times a week, then you abandon us and drag your sorry ass back to that cow!"

Claire flinched. Tammy-Lynn came waddling up to Owen like a distressed chicken.

"You should be with someone who makes you happy."

Owen caught her wrist as she tried to touch his cheek.

"I'm very happy. No one in this world can make me feel better than Claire does. If you don't believe me, that's your business, but I don't ever want to see you again."

He paid for his drink and left Tammy-Lynn behind as he stormed out of the bar.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire followed Owen back home. As he drove his truck down the dusty road, she curled up by his neck and gave him an imperceptible kiss. The ride was quiet, and Claire found it rather peaceful.

When Owen entered the cabin, Claire stayed behind. She rinsed herself off under the dripping hose and walked through the grass, which was taller than she was. As she rounded the corner, she heard two voices coming from inside the house. One was hers. Hearing her own delusional words made her realize just how paranoid she was being. Well, it wasn't _all_ her fault. She'd been kind of moody for a while, so this was bound to happen eventually.

When her past self stormed out the front door, Claire felt herself grow back to her usual size. Without missing a beat, she dashed into the house. Owen turned around in surprise.

"That was fast."

Claire ran across the room and gave him a kiss. He was surprised, but that didn't stop him from kissing her back. When they separated, he frowned in confusion.

"Claire, don't take this the wrong way, but are you still mad at me or not?"

"Not. I was being stupid."

Owen smiled and rubbed his nose against her beak.

"You're not stupid, Claire."

As she looked down at him, she felt her eyes brimming with tears.

"Would you be happier somewhere else?"

Owen gave her a confused look.

"Claire, I-"

"I'm not asking you as a guilt thing or a rhetorical question," she interrupted, "I really want to know. If there's somewhere you'd be happier, I'd like you to be there instead."

Owen smiled and pressed his cheek against her chest.

"I'm happy here."

"But are you happy enough?"

Owen laughed.

"Claire, I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life."

"That's an exaggeration."

"Absolutely not. This is what I've always wanted."

"To be married to a dinosaur?"

"To have a family."

Claire cocked her head.

"Can two people be considered a family?"

Owen shrugged.

"I think so. Plus, Barry comes over sometimes . . ."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Alright. I guess we're a family."

Owen sighed happily.

"I'm glad you agree."


	61. Shadow Of A Noose

Once again, Claire found herself crying. She did it less frequently and for shorter periods of time now, but she was still rather distraught. It was true that she had learned to be more open and honest with Owen about her situation, but she hated the fact that she still cried about it, and tried to hide from him whenever possible. She was a little concerned about her inability to cope, as it had been about a year and a half since her unfortunate transformation, but she supposed it was something that didn't just heal overnight.

"What's wrong?"

Claire jumped as Owen entered the living room. She wiped away her tears and smiled.

"Nothing. I was just thinking back to the last time we kissed."

"It was _that_ bad?"

Claire laughed.

"No, it was wonderful. That's why I'm crying. I wish it could be that way again."

Owen smiled deviously.

"Well, come closer, and we can try for it."

Claire shook her head.

"Thanks, but . . . it just won't be the same."

Owen blinked.

"What do you mean? You don't think I can top my record from this morning?"

"This morning?" Claire echoed, "No, Owen, I was talking about the _actual_ last time we kissed. When I was human."

Owen frowned. Claire realized too late that she had said something wrong.

" _Actual_ last time?" Owen repeated, "So, you're saying that nothing else after that _counts_?"

Claire shrugged helplessly.

"Well, no. It's not a real kiss unless you're human."

Owen crossed his arms.

"I guess that means that none of the other stuff we did was real for you either . . ."

"Owen, don't be bitter."

He scoffed.

" _Bitter_? Claire, I have every right to be bitter! Christ! Here I was, thinking that everything was right with the world, and all of a sudden, my wife tells me that we haven't been kissing for the past year and a half!"

Desperate to save face, Claire tried to explain herself.

"It's more complicated than that," she mumbled.

"Is it, Claire? Because from where I'm standing, we were doing fine."

"We _are_ fine," she insisted.

"Why don't you want to admit that we've been kissing?" Owen snapped.

"Because it's not technically-"

"Claire, we make passionate contact with our mouths. That is called a kiss. You can't just deny that."

Claire rumbled in warning. She could feel herself losing control.

"Look, I'm not the villain, here. If anything, you should be glad that I'm not accusing you of kissing a dinosaur."

"Claire, you're not-"

"Do you even _listen_ to yourself, Owen?" she stressed, "You say I'm in denial, but _you_ can't admit that I'm a dinosaur."

"That's not what I-"

"Fine. If you're really dead set on calling it a kiss, it's a kiss! Now you can tell everyone that you kissed a stegoceratops!"

Owen clenched his fists.

"Are you saying there's something _wrong_ with me?"

"I don't know, Owen. Maybe there _is_. Maybe you have some weird thing for dinosaurs or something. That must be the reason you've stayed for so long."

Owen stepped forward slowly.

"Claire, I stayed because I loved you. I married you, for Christ's sake! But every goddamn time you start getting upset over nothing, I have to say the same things over and over again, hoping that you'll believe me. But this is too much. If you genuinely think we haven't been kissing, I have some news for you. This is reality. This is our life. We're married, and we're supposed to love each other. I gave up a lot for you. I didn't have to do that, and I know you'll probably hate me for saying it, but it's true. I left a life behind, and for a while, I thought it was worth it. But then I find out that my life-partner refuses to admit that we're together . . . God, I don't know _what_ to believe anymore. I thought we were over this. I'm not in denial, Claire. But I'm an idiot for thinking that you actually cared enough about me to put the past behind us."

Claire snorted angrily.

"You're just wallowing in self pity."

"Oh, _I'm_ the one who's wallowing?" he snapped, "Look at yourself, Claire! Every day, I tell you that you're beautiful, and whenever I do, you shoot me down. You are the _definition_ of self pity. It's bad enough that you have to be miserable all the time, but you drag me down with you-"

"You _let_ yourself be dragged, Owen!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You can leave whenever you want!"

"So you want to get rid of me?"

"I couldn't if I tried! You stick to me like some sort of gadfly-"

" _Stick to you_ , Claire? Is that what you call marriage?"

"Oh, come off it! We aren't married. Do you honestly think that we have legal standing as a couple?"

"Legal standing. Right. Of course. That's all that matters to you."

"Don't make me the villain."

"I'm _not_ , Claire! You're doing that all on your own!"

"Fuck you. I'm leaving."

He waved her away.

"Fine. Go. You'll just come lumbering back here like you always do. You'll pretend to get over whatever's bothering you, but you'll lapse back into your stupid self pity in a week or so. Then we'll have another argument and go through the same shit all over again. Why can't you just accept the fact that this is our life together? Don't you _want_ this?"

Claire glared at him with tears in her eyes. She took a shaky breath and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Honestly, I don't think I do."

Owen stared at her, his mouth agape. She broke their shared gaze and turned to the door. Owen was frozen in shock. He didn't move as she walked across the room. Claire wasn't sure that he _could_ move, but even so, she didn't look behind her as she pushed the door closed with her tail.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire wandered around the ranch aimlessly. The sky was thickly clouded over, and the blue cords of light that shone through the dark clumps were growing dimmer and dimmer as dusk turned to night. It would probably rain, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be away from the house.

As Claire trudged across the dark grass, she felt the silence bearing down on her like a lead weight. The only sound came from her feet as she shuffled across the field. Even the crickets were silent. She made several rounds of the main buildings before she lay down beside the old, rusted farming equipment. She hated the fact that it was approximately her size, but there was nothing to be done about it. From where she was sitting, she could see a yellow light coming from the kitchen window. She got up, moved closer, and saw Owen sitting at the table, weeping into his arms. She stared at him for a long time.

It was _her_ fault. It was her fault that he was so miserable. What she had said about him being able to leave at any time . . . that wasn't true. He _couldn't_ leave. He couldn't leave because he knew that she needed him. She was making him miserable. She was a burden.

Claire lumbered away on shaky legs. She turned to look at Owen one last time before making her way to the shed. She fiddled with the latch, eventually opening the door with her beak. Inside, she rooted around for something to help her set Owen free.

She found a bag of rat poison.

Dragging the rodenticide across the grass with her mouth, she scanned the surrounding area for the least likely place that Owen would come looking for her. She settled on a rocky trail, not only because it would be an arduous climb, but because the boulders would show no footprints.

She began her journey as the last ounces of daylight faded away. Slowly, she climbed across the mountain's face, hopping over gaps in the boulders when necessary. Her feet were bruised and her bones felt battered, but she kept going. Every so often, she considered going back to leave a note, but she had no way of writing it without first heading into the house and thereby exposing her plan. Besides, if Owen ever figured out what she had done, he'd know the reason. Even so, she hoped that he wouldn't come looking for her. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel responsible for her decision. If she could somehow prevent him from finding what was left of her, it would be all the better.

From where she was standing, Claire could see the house peeking out from behind a rocky cliff. She only turned back because she heard Owen calling her name. She could see him running across the lawn, no larger than a speck, shouting at the top of his lungs. Every muscle in her body screamed to return to him, but she forced herself to turn away. He'd be happier once she was gone. He didn't know it yet, but he would be. He could find a real wife. He could have children. He could live like people were supposed to live. Hopefully, he'd forget about their life together. Maybe he could move on for good.

As Claire wandered deeper into the mountain range, she thought about the people she'd be leaving behind. Her family, her few remaining friends . . . they'd all be better off without her. It must be a terrible burden to keep her secret. Now they wouldn't have to fly across the country to visit her. They wouldn't feel obligated to spend the holidays with on her lonely little patch of the world. They'd be free, just like Owen.

It was getting harder and harder to see. Many times, Claire would step on a sharp branch that would cut into her foot like a blade. Not that it mattered, of course. Still, it was slowing her down, which meant that she would cover less distance. She wanted to be far away. Very far. She wondered whether it was possible to travel so far that Owen wouldn't find her. Probably not. If he didn't find her immediately, he'd probably stumble across her sun-bleached bones, or else her not-quite-decomposed corpse. She hoped that he wouldn't see her that way. It might be traumatic.

It was then that it started to rain. Claire didn't really care, until she realized that the moisture would certainly soak through the paper bag and ruin its contents. Quickly, she ducked under a small overhang. She shook herself off and sat down on the dry ground, watching the rain pour down from the sky. She placed the bag of poison to the side. A part of her didn't want to look at it, but she knew that she was just avoiding the issue. Perhaps that was the real reason she had come this far. Was she simply procrastinating? Did she want to live?

As the sound of falling water echoed off of the curved rock that sheltered her, Claire took a look at herself in the darkness. She twisted and turned, rolled over and stood up, wiggled and contorted until she was sure that she had seen every inch of her body. She was getting used to it, but it still wasn't _her_. She was an animal . . . No, that wasn't true. She was barely even a real dinosaur. She was nothing. She was less than nothing. She might as well not exist. Soon, she wouldn't.

Slowly, Claire pulled the bag of poison towards her. She lay on her belly and closed her eyes. This was as good a time as any. To put it off any longer would be pointless.

She opened the bag. The pale blue powder inside looked inviting. Claire wondered if she could swallow it without vomiting. There was certainly enough to kill her, even if she did.

Claire shook her head. She had been sitting still for a very long time, and she hadn't even realized it. She was overthinking the issue. It would be better to get it over with . . . Then again, she didn't want her last thoughts to be bitter. She needed something gentle to conclude her consciousness. She quickly rejected the idea of imagining Owen, because it would certainly make her reconsider what she was about to do. Instead of focusing on people, she focused on feelings. She thought about how it felt to be kissed, pulling her mind away from specific instances for protection. She thought about lying in the sun, relaxed and carefree. She thought about how wonderful it was to feel beautiful, even when she wasn't.

Slowly, her beak opened. She leaned forward, sticking her snout into the bag. This was it. This was the end. She could finally be free.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Claire's abdomen. She screamed and rolled over, gasping in shock. Her horn knocked the bag into the pouring rain. The powder was washed away in a stream of water. Claire wailed in agony, but when the pain returned, she forgot all about her plan. Something was wrong with her, and she felt like she was dying.

All of a sudden, the prospect of ending her life seemed very foolish. The white-hot burning sensation that was quickly spreading all over her body was enough to make her wish that she was alive and without pain, or else that she could be dead without dying. She screamed at the top of her lungs as the pain worsened. It seemed impossible that it could become more agonizing, but it did.

Claire trumpeted loudly, grasping her belly with her front feet and curling her knees in front of her. With tears in her eyes, she thrashed around and tried desperately to breathe through the pain. It was like something was tearing her apart from the inside.

"WHY? OH, GOD! WHY?"

She stopped thrashing around and spread her legs. She alternated between clenching her teeth and screaming shrilly. With one final cry, Claire stretched herself out on the ground and went limp. She lay on her side, panting heavily. She was sweating all over, and although the pain was growing fainter and fainter, it was still enough to make her weep. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed until she had no more tears left to shed. She was utterly stunned.

Catching her breath in short hiccups, Claire found the strength to lift her head. What she saw horrified her. Lying in the dirt behind her rump was a large, white sphere. Attached to the globe was a tube that looked like pink composite hose. It led back to her body.

"Oh god . . ."

Claire felt like she was about to vomit. She was simultaneously repulsed and horrified by the sight. It was unnatural, unscientific, and just plain wrong.

Screaming in fury, Claire stabbed the umbilical cord repeatedly with her tail spikes. She barely had the strength to do so, but somehow, she managed to beat it into oblivion. The frayed ends split apart, and as they did, they began to glow. Like the fuse of a bomb, they disintegrated, leaving only Claire and the egg. If it was magic, it was not the good kind.

Claire moaned and put her foot on the egg. She tried to crush it, but the shell was unusually strong. It slipped from under her back leg and rolled towards her face. Again, she tried to squish it with her front foot, but to no avail. She decided that it wasn't worth her time to find a way to get rid of it. When she regained her strength, she could simply push it over one of the many cliffs along the mountainside.

Closing her eyes in defeat, Claire steadied her breathing. Her plates were jutting out of her back at uneven angles, and she feared that she had damaged her flight-muscles. She quickly reminded herself that it didn't matter, because she was about to die, and speaking of which . . .

Claire felt her heart sink when she saw the last of the poison being washed away by the rain, which was tapering off into a trickle. The blue substance mixed with the mud, and soon, it was no longer visible. What was she to do now? Perhaps she could join the egg at the bottom of a steep precipice.

Claire lifted her head drowsily as she heard footsteps approaching her. Her screaming must have attracted someone's attention. She heard Owen calling out to her, and prayed that he would take a different path and miss her entirely. The swaying beam of a flashlight indicated that he had not. Claire closed her eyes tight and willed herself to disappear, still a little confused from her episode. Bright stars popped against her eyelids, and she dry-heaved.

Owen appeared at the crest of the hill. When he spotted her, he ran over. His flashlight swung chaotically as he fell to his knees. He dropped it and held her head in his arms.

"Claire? Are you okay? God, I was so worried. Don't ever do that again!"

Claire flinched as he kissed the ridge of her beak. He ran his hand down her muzzle and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said."

She didn't move. Owen gulped and lifted her chin with his index finger.

"Claire? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. Owen sighed with relief and removed his rain jacket. He soon realized that placing it over her shoulders would do nothing, as it covered only a fraction of her body. Even so, he left it there and picked up his flashlight.

"Come home, Claire. We need to get you dried off. If you develop pneumonia-"

His light fell upon the egg. For a moment, he was silent. Then, he crawled over and ran his hand along the ivory shell.

"Is this ours?"

Claire said nothing. Owen continued to examine the egg with wonder.

"We're gonna be parents . . . We're gonna be parents . . ."

Claire closed her eyes.

"No, we're not. It isn't viable. It's like a chicken egg. It was never fertilized."

Owen's face fell.

"Oh. Are you sure? . . ."

Claire exhaled.

"Yes. It's impossible for us to have children. We're not even remotely similar, biologically."

Owen looked down. He took a deep breath and turned back to Claire.

"That's alright. Come home with me, Claire. We can talk things through."

"Are you sure you want me back?"

Owen nodded furiously.

"Yes, Claire. Of course. I love you. I love you so much . . ."

He leaned in for a kiss, but she turned away. Owen bit his lip.

"Claire . . ."

"I don't think I can come back."

Owen wiped his eyes.

"Why not?"

"You'd have a better life alone."

"No, Claire. No. I need you. Please don't leave me."

She stood up and removed the raincoat from her shoulders.

"Take this. Go back."

Owen shook his head.

"Not without you."

Claire made an attempt to get away, but Owen blocked her path.

"Claire, if something were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself."

She looked into his eyes.

"That's why I have to leave. I'm a burden."

"You're not a burden, Claire."

"That's a lie."

Owen shook his head.

"If you're a burden to me, then I'm just as much of a burden to you. It's not about bringing each other down. We're codependent. We have to be there for each other. That's what marriage is. It has nothing to do with the fact that you're a stegoceratops."

Claire didn't know how to respond. She wanted to believe him, but sour feeling of guilt was still twisting inside of her.

"Owen . . . I'm sorry. I just can't see this ending well. I don't know if I can get over this."

He pulled her close.

"We just need time."

"We've already had plenty of time."

"Doesn't matter. We can take more."

Claire shook her head.

"We're just wasting our time on a lost cause. Nothing is going to change."

It was then, as she turned away, that she noticed something peculiar about the egg. Owen's jaw dropped. He saw it too. The flashlight was shining through the shell in a way that revealed a small shadow inside.

It was an embryo.

***TSJWFEW***

They placed the egg on a towel, and they covered the towel with hay. The fabricated nest was moved to the kitchen table for safekeeping. Owen sat beside it while Claire dried herself off.

"Should we get a heat lamp?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter. It won't survive," she replied curtly.

"How can you be sure?"

Claire sighed.

"I saw these things die off by the dozen, and those were _manufactured_ dinosaurs. One in three human pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. Our odds aren't looking good."

Owen ran his hand down the egg sadly.

"We can try . . ."

"And then what? What if everything magically goes right? Do we even know what's inside?"

Owen shrugged.

"I have no preference as far as gender goes-"

"No, not _that_ ," Claire growled, "I mean, what if it's a hideous monster?"

Owen pouted.

"It won't be."

Claire frowned.

"Owen, this shouldn't be possible, but it is, and so I'm gonna tell you exactly what's going to happen. That _thing_ will hatch-"

"Don't call our baby a 'thing'."

Claire rumbled angrily.

"Our 'baby' is going to end up being some repulsive freak of nature, riddled with disease and deformity. If it doesn't die right away, it will live in constant pain, wishing that we had just gone ahead and pushed it over a cliff."

"Claire!"

"And if it somehow manages to survive childhood, we'll have a barely-functioning animal to take care of. You think it will be a real child? Keep telling yourself that. It's going to be a stupid-"

"Claire."

"-ugly-"

"Claire!"

"-disabled-"

"CLAIRE!"

"-monster!"

Owen stood up suddenly, knocking his chair over. Claire shrunk away. She had never seen him so furious. He pointed to the door, still glaring down at her.

"Get out."

"What? . . ."

"Get out. If you're not going to be supportive, I don't want you in my house."

Claire nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Fine. Don't come after me, this time."

She once again lumbered out the front door. Instead of going for another walk, she made a full round of the house to watch Owen from outside. He was putting another blanket around the egg. When it was safely wrapped up, he held it in his arms like a baby. Claire rolled her eyes. Owen saw her standing outside and frowned. He marched over to the window pointedly and shut the blinds. Claire growled and turned away.

The ground was still wet from the rain, so Claire decided to sleep in the barn. She opened the door, walked inside, and curled up in the hay. She felt like crying, but no tears came. She was too tired to express an emotion of any kind.

She dozed off a few minutes later. Her brief slumber was interrupted when Owen entered the barn. She lifted her head, but he didn't even look at her.

"Before you say anything, I'm only here to get more hay."

Claire watched as Owen scooped up an armful of hay and waddled out the door. She flinched as he kicked it closed. Daunted, she stared into the darkness for a moment before resting her head on her arms. She fell asleep shortly after.

Claire was once again snapped out of her troubled dreams when Owen entered the barn fifteen minutes later. She cocked her head, but he didn't meet her gaze.

"I need a bucket."

He stormed across the barn and grabbed a metal bucket. Claire once again watched him leave. This time, she didn't flinch when he slammed the door shut.

Claire lay on her side, but found that she couldn't get back to sleep. She didn't want to, in any case, for whenever she closed her eyes, her vision would be flooded with images of umbilical cords and blood. Shaking her head to clear the unpleasant thoughts, Claire rolled onto her belly. She wondered what she would do, now that she had failed miserably at her plan. She could always try again, she supposed, but it probably wasn't worth it. If a stray hiker were to stumble across her corpse, it would make big news. Maybe they'd put her in a museum. At least she'd attract a decent crowd. Of course, one or two people might actually enjoy seeing her. It was all she could ask for, now that Owen didn't love her.

As this thought entered her mind, however, Owen returned with the bucket. He had filled it with warm water. He walked over, placed it beside Claire without saying a word, and left.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire awoke when a beam of sunlight crossed her face. The barn was filled with dust particles that glowed in the gentle rays that descended from the roof. She got up slowly, stretched out her legs, and shook the hay off of her side. With a deep yawn, she pushed the door open.

Owen was watering the garden. He saw Claire emerging from the barn, but pretended that he hadn't. Claire decided to play his game. She dipped her head down and started grazing.

Neither of them made eye contact for a good long time. They simply went about their tasks, pretending that they were alone in the field. Of course, Claire gradually started grazing at a closer proximity to Owen, and he in turn suddenly decided to water the flowers that were nearest to where she was standing. They got closer and closer and closer until they were only a few feet away from each other. Claire looked up and met his gaze.

"I'm sorry."

She hadn't planned to say it first, but in hindsight, she was glad that she did.

"Don't worry about it," Owen said quietly, "You were probably stressed out. I won't judge you by any of the things you said."

Claire nodded slowly.

"Is the egg okay?"

"Looks like it."

"Can I come back inside?"

Owen laughed.

"What kind of a question is that?"

Claire shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm just wondering if you plan to put me out in the kennel, that's all."

Owen squirted her with the hose. Claire laughed and tackled him to the ground.

***TSJWFEW***

For the next few weeks, Owen and Claire took care of the egg. It seemed to be doing okay, which was both good and bad. Claire felt conflicted about it, to say the least. On one hand, she didn't want it to die, or Owen would be crushed. On the other hand, if it survived, they would have to raise the child. It wasn't just the fact that the baby would end up deformed, and it probably would, but what really scared Claire was the fact that she would have to be a mother. She wasn't ready. She wasn't meant to be a mother, with her self-loathing and depression and bitterness. Not only would she be ruining Owen's life, but she would probably end up destroying what little chance this child had at being happy.

Owen, on the other hand, seemed ecstatic. He spent almost every waking hour with the egg, tending to its needs like a mother hen on steroids. Claire even caught him reading to it once. She hated to disappoint him, but she just wasn't ready for parenthood.

One day, Claire found herself alone with the egg. Owen was buying baby food in town, despite Claire's warnings that he was getting his hopes up for nothing. In any case, she was on sentry duty. She sat by the table with her chin on her feet, staring at the egg worriedly.

"I guess it's just you and me."

The egg, unsurprisingly, didn't reply. Claire sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I know it seems like I don't want you, but it's more complicated than that. I guess I'm just afraid that you'll be screwed up. If you are, it'll be _my_ fault . . ."

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I would like to apologize to you in advance for anything that goes wrong. I've never done this before, and I . . . I just don't know how to make you happy."

She looked away with guilt.

"I don't blame you if you don't like me. _I_ don't even like me. But whatever happens, don't be mad at your father, okay? He really loves you. I think I might love you too. I'm just afraid."

She took a deep breath and tapped the egg gently with her front horn.

"If you can hear me, you should know that you're loved. Do you know that?"

She placed her front foot on the shell.

"Do you know that? . . ."

The egg twitched. Claire's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god . . ."

That was the first time the baby kicked.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen and Claire touched the egg constantly after that. The first time Owen felt it moving around, Claire had to find him a tissue. They placed their hands on the shell and tried to find a pattern. Surprisingly, the baby reacted to Claire's voice the most. Owen insisted that it was because it liked Claire, but she hypothesized that she was simply causing distress for whatever was inside. Owen stood by his theory, and one night, he asked Claire to sing.

"Sing?"

"Yes. For the baby."

Claire laughed.

"I can't. The baby won't like it."

Owen smiled.

"The baby will _love_ it. Sing."

Claire shrugged.

"I don't know any songs."

"You know _one_ song . . ."

Claire frowned. Owen gave her an encouraging wave. She sighed in exasperation and swung her tail back and forth.

"Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah."

Owen grinned.

"It's working. This one's a dancer."

Claire continued to sing, and sure enough, the egg started wiggling enthusiastically. Halfway through the song, however, Claire stopped.

"What's wrong?" Owen asked.

Claire bit her lower beak and turned away from the egg.

"I can't do this."

Owen placed his hands on her cheeks.

"You're just afraid. All mothers are afraid."

Claire started shaking.

"What if the baby licks an electrical socket or something? We haven't baby-proofed the house."

"I bought some things to help us with that."

He ran across the room and came back with two tennis balls.

"These are to cover sharp objects."

After a beat, he placed them on her horns. Claire snorted and shook them off.

"That's not funny."

"It's a little funny . . ."

Claire sighed and turned back to the egg. She placed her front foot on the ivory shell and felt the warmth seeping into her toes. Her beak quivered, and she pulled away. Owen frowned sadly, but his face lit up soon after. He scooted closer to her and smiled.

"Claire Dearing: Supermom."

Claire frowned. Owen rested his head against her arm.

"Claire Dearing: Parent of the Year."

Claire rumbled guiltily. Owen lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.

"Claire Dearing: Mother."

He smiled.

"Sounds about right to me."

Claire nuzzled his cheek. The egg gave a little twitch. Claire put her foot on it and sighed.

"How are we gonna do this?"

"We're gonna do this together."

"Together?" Claire echoed.

Owen placed his hand on hers.

"Together."

Suddenly, the egg began to wiggle like crazy. Claire frowned in confusion and leaned closer. She leapt back in surprise as a tiny crack appeared at the top.

"IT'S HATCHING!" Owen shouted.

Claire felt her heart beat faster as the crack widened. A few small fragments fell away to reveal a tiny horn.

"It's a dinosaur," Claire said.

The horn moved around a little bit, and soon, the hole was wide enough for the whole snout. A tiny muzzle poked through, sniffing weakly. Then, it sunk back in. Owen leaned forward with a worried frown.

"Do you think-"

 _CRACK!_

The baby slammed its head through the shell, shattering the upper half of the dome. As soon as the full body was revealed, Owen knew that it wasn't one hundred percent saurian. The child had beige skin like a human, and its lips were something like a soft, wrinkly beak. Its golden-yellow frill was a simple shape, similar to Claire's, but smoother. It had three horns and fewer toes than a human. Instead of plates, it had strange bumps going down its back, like tiny dromedary humps. Its tail ended in a thagomizer, unsurprisingly. Owen craned his neck to get a better look, and decided that it was probably female.

"We have a daughter."

When Owen turned to Claire, he saw that she had tears in her eyes. His heart sank when he realized that she must be disappointed that the baby was a hybrid.

"Claire, I'm sorry . . ." he whispered.

Without saying a word, Claire leaned forward so that her beak was inches away from the baby. The hatchling's eyes were still closed, and she seemed to be feeling around for something. When she made contact with Claire, she ran her tiny toe-fingers over her beak. Then, the baby opened her eyes and looked up at her mother for the very first time. Owen bit his lip worriedly as Claire cried, but he was surprised to see her smiling through her tears. She leaned in closer to her daughter, who gave a very quiet hum.

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Owen felt his heart glowing with joy. He reached over and ran his hand over the baby's frill. She squeaked happily.

"You're not a monster . . ." he chuckled.

Claire gave her a gentle lick.

"No, she's not. She's perfect. I've never seen a baby this pretty . . ."

Claire laughed as the child kicked away the lower half of the eggshell and climbed up on her snout. She slid back against her horn and gave a surprised cough. After a moment, she hummed happily and hugged her mother's snout.

"I love you," Claire whispered.

The baby replied by licking her. Claire giggled gently.

"Did you know that you're beautiful?"

Owen grinned.

"Yes, you're beautiful, dear. You're beautiful-"

"Lily," Claire said, "Her name is Lily."


	62. Jurassic Parks And Recreation

**INT. VISITORS' CENTER**

ELKAY

Here at Isla Nublar, we take our homages very seriously. What is an homage, you may ask? Well, simply put, it's a tribute to a certain piece of media that you enjoy.

 _Stock footage of Isla Nublar._

ELKAY

Today, we're doing Parks and Recreation. Why? Well, Claire just had a kid, and Ellie suggested that we build her a park. Naturally, I took that to mean "Twist my words so that they fit your agenda".

 _She grins._

ELKAY

I'm a good grandmother.

 _Cue the Jurassic Park theme, played at a quick tempo with Parks and Rec instruments. Credits._

 **EXT. CLAIRE'S CABIN**

 _Ellie is walking beside Elkay, who is leafing through important-looking papers._

ELKAY

Ellie, what does EXT mean?

ELLIE

I dunno. Is this for the script?

ELKAY

Yeah, I keep seeing it on my reference scripts. Thanks for entrusting me with the sacred task of writing this chapter, by the way.

 _Ellie gives a false smile._

ELLIE TALKING HEAD

I thought it would keep her busy for a while. She can be . . . troublesome. No, that sounds too negative. She's a menace.

(Beat.)

Oh god. That's even worse.

ELKAY TALKING HEAD

In order to simulate a Parks and Recreation environment, I've assigned certain roles to the characters. I, of course, am Leslie Knope, and Ellie is my Ann. For obvious reasons, Owen is Andy. That's all I got so far, but I'm planning something special.

 _Footage of Neith and Raven strolling across ranch._

ELKAY TALKING HEAD

Since my adopted starfish sister is played by Aubrey Plaza, she's going to be my April. Most of the characters here have Overworld equivalents, including my dear mother, who is Elizabeth Mitchell. Why does an Asterparan share the same appearance and voice as a real-life person? Well, it's a big old world we live in. That solves one plot hole, right?

 _Elkay approaches Raven._

ELKAY

Hello, sister!

RAVEN

Hi.

ELKAY

Okay, that was good, but you need to be about thirty percent more deadpan. Can you do that for me?

 _Neith gives her a disapproving look._

NEITH TALKING HEAD

I don't much care for the way my daughter sees us all as characters. I don't much care for her in general.

ELKAY TALKING HEAD

Yeah, she'd be Ron.

 _The group gathers around Claire and Owen, who are exiting the cabin. Owen is carrying Lily in his arms. She's fast asleep._

RAVEN

Oh, she's so cute! I love her!

CLAIRE

Yeah, she's really sweet. I haven't spent more than fifteen minutes away from her.

OWEN

She's a miracle.

ELKAY

Yeah, she's awfully cute for something that had both and egg and an umbilical cord when it was popped out of a kooch.

 _Everyone gives her horrified looks._

ELKAY TALKING HEAD

God, what was I thinking? That was _completely_ inappropriate.

(Beat.)

They'd never use the word "kooch" on Parks and Rec.

(Beat.)

I just said it again, didn't I?

 _Ellie brings Claire and Owen to an empty patch of grass._

ELLIE

This is where the park will be. I'm thinking we should have a swing set, a slide, and monkey bars. Nothing too complicated.

 _Elkay steps in front of her._

ELKAY

Whoa, Ellie, let's not get carried away with all of this "logical" nonsense. What we need is a really complicated park with amazing gadgets and gizmos. Only the best for little Daisy.

CLAIRE

Lily.

ELKAY

Whatever.

ELLIE

Um, Elkay, why don't you go back to Isla Nublar and figure out who should be cast in each role?

ELKAY

Good idea! I'm conflicted about Vic, because he's either a Chris or a Jerry.

 _Both Owen and Claire look up at her with blank expressions._

CLAIRE

Yeah . . . go do that thing that will probably take all day. Hopefully.

 _Elkay skips away, leaving Ellie alone._

ELLIE

Right, so I'll get started on the swing set.

OWEN (realizing that this will get the job done faster, and therefore cut down on dragon-time)

I'll help.

 **INT. VISITORS' CENTER**

 _Zara and Robin are walking down the hall. Zara inches forward on her belly like a seal._

ROBIN

Oh my gosh, Zara, we need to braid your hair.

ZARA

Why?

ROBIN

Because it's long and beautiful and it would be fun. You're so lucky.

 _Zara gives a shy smile and waves her wing-flipper._

ZARA

Oh, Robin. You're too nice. I'm glad I was able to make friends here. I didn't think I'd fit in.

ROBIN

What gave you _that_ idea?

ZARA

Well, I'm not really sure where I'm wanted. A Mozaradon doesn't belong on earth or in the air or in the sea, so what does that leave?

ROBIN

Lava?

 _Zara blinks._

ZARA

What I mean to say is: I don't really know what I'm supposed to be. I thought I was going to lead a normal life, but-

 _Elkay dashes by and pushes them over rudely._

ELKAY

Stop being depressing. This is a comedy.

 _Zara and Robin stare at her in disbelief._

 **EXT. CLAIRE'S CABIN**

 _Ellie is working with a bunch of raptors on the location of the soon-to-be park. Owen is directing them with exaggerated hand gestures. Claire is cradling Lily in the bg._

OWEN

Good, good. A little to the left. No. No, not there. Bad! Pick it up, and move this way.

 _One of the raptors gives him an annoyed look._

RAPTOR

We're not animals. You can talk to us normally.

OWEN (embarrassed)

Right. Sorry. Carry on.

CLAIRE

Owen, come take care of Lily for a bit.

OWEN

Why? Am I doing something wrong?

CLAIRE

I need you . . . and you're doing many things wrong.

OWEN TALKING HEAD

I can always tell when Claire is mad, because she does this weird face. It's like a pouty-angry-terrifying frown.

(Beat.)

She's doing it right now, isn't she?

 _Zoom out to reveal that she is._

 _Owen walks over and takes Lily in his arms. She makes a small squeaking sound, keeping her eyes closed._

CLAIRE (looking at her with concern)

Do you think it's a good idea to have all of these raptors running around?

OWEN

Yeah. Why?

CLAIRE

They make me nervous.

OWEN

Are you saying you have an irrational fear of raptors?

CLAIRE

I have a _rational_ fear of raptors. What if they decide to make me into a Claireburger?

OWEN (adding on)

A Claire Pot Pie.

CLAIRE

A Claire McNugget.

OWEN (excited)

An éclaire!

CLAIRE

That's enough.

 **EXT. VIC'S MUD HUT**

 _Elkay is sitting with Vic at a fancy table. They are having tea. By the frustrated look on her face, we can deduce that she has been here for a very long time._

ELKAY

Okay, one last time: would you consider yourself a health nut?

VIC

I don't know! Well, maybe, but I do enjoy cake and cupcakes and snickerdoodles.

ELKAY (prompting)

Eggs, bacon, and toast?

VIC

"No" to the first two, since I'm a herbivore.

ELKAY (frustrated)

Have you ever knocked something over accidentally?

VIC

All the time. My tail swings around uncontrollably.

ELKAY (pressing for answers)

Are you an optimist?

VIC

Most definitely.

ELKAY (conflicted)

Do you have a smoking hot wife?

VIC (fearful)

I was married once, but it didn't work out. Why do you need to know?

ELKAY (pointing her face to the sky in defeat)

Oh my god, this is hopeless. I'll just have to make you a Jerry.

VIC (oblivious)

I don't know what that means, but thank you!

 _Elkay puts her head on the table and groans audibly._

 **EXT. LAGOON**

 _Zara is frolicking in the water. Robin dog-paddles after her with exhaustion._

ROBIN

You're super fast.

ZARA

A third of me is genetically predisposed to aquatic excellence.

ROBIN

I didn't understand half of those words.

ZARA

I swim good.

ROBIN

Cool. Do you wanna get ice cream after this?

ZARA

Can't. I promised Ellie I'd record a Christmas album.

ROBIN

Oh my gosh! That sounds like fun. Can I come too?

ZARA

Can you sing?

ROBIN (out of tune)

Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling-

ZARA

You can come anyway.

 **INT. VISITORS' CENTER**

 _Elkay is handing out promotional flyers near the staircase. She tries to get people's attention, but they gravitate away from her when she approaches them._

ELKAY TALKING HEAD

This is really hard. I thought for sure I'd find someone crazy enough to be Tom, but so far, I've had no luck. The closest character I can think of is my grandson, The Phantom of the Opera, but we had an argument recently, and haven't spoken since. He could be dead for all I know.

(Beat.)

I really hope that's not the case, because he owes me money.

 _Elkay runs after people as they pass._

ELKAY

Sir! Excuse me! Sir! Would you be interested-

 _She frowns as he jogs away. Her face brightens when she sees someone else._

ELKAY

Excuse me, ma'am, but do you think you could- Ma'am! DO YOU WANT TO GET RICH QUICK?

 _She sighs and sits down, giving up._

ELKAY

This is harder than I thought.

 _Ellie enters from a side door._

ELLIE

Hi.

ELKAY

How's the park coming?

ELLIE

We finished it, actually.

ELKAY (loudly)

What?!

ELLIE

Yeah, it didn't really take long. Especially since I used magic.

ELKAY

But- But that was the crux of the plot!

ELLIE

Yeah, but I figured it wouldn't get done if we tried to fit a three act structure over the story. I guess the lesson here is that you shouldn't force conflict.

ELKAY (with a flat bitterness)

Or that I should be wary of your sudden eagerness to hand me a project.

ELLIE (smiling compassionately)

We can still do the scene that plays during the credits.

ELKAY

But we haven't earned it. We didn't stick to the Parks and Recreation format.

ELLIE (sneakily)

Well, we could to something _else_ . . .

 **INT. VISITORS' CENTER**

 _Elkay and Ellie are sitting on a couch. Ellie starts making beatbox sounds._

ELKAY

¿Dónde está el Centro de Visitantes? Me llamo Elkay, el dragón discoteca.

ELLIE

Discoteca, fantasma, Flor es una mariposa. Los clones son sueco. Claire se va a morir.

ELKAY

El maestro del circo es un híbrido. Es secreto mal. Langosta, langosta, langosta!

ELLIE

Me quedé sin palabras españolas. Alas, alas, algo. Alas, langosta!

 _They sit in silence for a while._

ELKAY

I thought that would be funner. It kind of turned out like that Shakespeare chapter that went nowhere.

ELLIE

Shut up.


	63. Everything Is Awesome

One morning, Elkay woke up and yawned so hard that the top half of her head fell off. She moved her arms up and down as she got out of bed, feeling around for her missing body part. She found it on the floor, picked it up, and clicked it back on her jaw.

"I hate it when that happens," she muttered.

With a cheerful hum, she hopped over to her dresser and opened the drawer. She pulled out a small piece of fire and placed it in her rucksack. Then, she whistled a merry tune and skipped down to the dining room.

When she entered the cafeteria, she saw Ellie sitting at a table all alone. It figured: she was an early riser, unlike Alan, who could sleep until noon. It was all the better for Elkay, who got to spend the mornings with her dear friend and granddaughter.

"Hello, dear friend and granddaughter!" she cheered as she stood on her chair.

Ellie looked up from her waffles and raised her eyebrow.

"Why are you moving like that?"

Elkay laughed.

"I move like this all the time!"

Ellie shook her head.

"No, you don't. You're being all robotic. What's up?"

"I can't help but move this way. That's how my joints fit in."

Ellie blinked.

"What are you talking about? Did you sprain something?"

Elkay shook her head.

"You can't sprain Lego."

Ellie froze. She placed her fork on the table and folded her hands.

"Lego?"

Elkay nodded rapidly.

"Of course. We're all made of Lego."

Ellie frowned, then stood up.

"I have to go check on something."

Elkay watched as she exited the cafeteria.

"Alright, but I'm eating your waffles."

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie glided off of the Visitors' Center Tower and made her way to Mount Sibo. She felt the thermals carrying her higher, blowing through her feathers like a warm fan. There was no doubt that something was mentally wrong with Elkay. Well, more wrong than usual, that is. If she was seeing Lego everywhere, it was very possible that she had suffered some sort of traumatic event, resulting in quirky delusions. That was just the kind of thing Elkay did. In any case, there was only one person who was capable of making Elkay go crazier, and that person just happened to be a dragon.

"Neith!"

Ellie called out long before she reached Neithhotep's isolated cave. She landed on a rocky ledge and screamed again.

"NEITH!"

The yellow dragon slithered out of the darkness.

"I heard you the first time."

Ellie put her hands on her hips.

"What did you do to Elkay?"

Neithhotep scoffed.

"Nothing. It was a perfectly normal pregnancy. She became messed up all on her own."

Ellie crossed her arms with an unimpressed frown.

"No, _recently_. She thinks the world is made of Lego. Did you say something to upset her?"

Neithhotep twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"Well, I've been consistent with my insults, so I see no problem there. Perhaps she's reached a breaking point, in which case, you'd better find a way to fix her."

Ellie shook her head.

"I see no reason for her to be acting so strangely, and right out of the blue. It must have been a traumatic event of some kind."

Neithhotep shrugged.

"Wouldn't surprise me. Let me know if she recovers or dies."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Alright."

"I wouldn't care either way."

"Got it," Ellie muttered.

She flew back towards the Visitors' Center, frowning in confusion. If Neithhotep was telling the truth, something far more sinister was going on with Elkay. But what could be more traumatic than an insult from a family member? . . .

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie found her grandmother punching a plant by the main road. After an arbitrary amount of hits, she moved on to the next leafy victim.

"Elkay, what are you doing?" Ellie asked, afraid of the answer.

"Collecting studs," she stated, as if that explained everything, "Turn on _Destroy On Contact_ , Ellie. It'll make this go much faster."

Ellie pulled her away from a crocosmia bush hurriedly.

"Elkay, what's upsetting you?"

The dragon didn't change her expression.

"Nothing, Ellie. Well, nothing but the usual things."

"Which are? . . ."

"My regrets, my loneliness, and a lump of ash that got stuck in my nostril."

Ellie hummed.

"Regrets . . . Loneliness . . . Is this about Zebil?"

Elkay laughed, moving the top part of her head in a rather bizarre way.

"Of course not. I recovered from his violent murder at the hands of my mother long ago. I even built a memorial wing."

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"In the VC?"

Elkay nodded.

"It's right over there," she said, pointing to a distant stretch of the building, "Of course, you can't see it from here, since the backgrounds are out of focus, but-"

Ellie grabbed her by the wing.

"That's where we'll find our answer."

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie was shocked to see just how much work Elkay had put into decorating the memorial wing. Everything seemed to be blue with black stripes, including the walls and floor. There were sculptures and statues and neckties; there were sofas and pillows and painted apples; there was even a fireplace in the shape of a tiger's head. Everything imaginable was crammed into the hall, and Ellie couldn't help but gawk at it all in amazement.

"Wow, Elkay, you really did a good job of decorating this place."

Elkay parted her mouth slightly, which was probably a smile in Lego world.

"I know. He would have liked it. Blue was his second favorite color."

Ellie crouched down to examine a rug that was designed to look like a blue tiger. She lifted the head and turned it around slowly.

"This is amazing. It's so lifelike. Where did you get this made?"

She flipped over the feet one by one.

"Christ, it even has claws. Oh, that's funny. You made it look like you sewed two halves together. That might be in poor t-"

The rug slipped from Ellie's hands as a realization dawned upon her.

"This is his skin, isn't it?"

Elkay hopped up and down.

"Yep. It's common for Asterparans to honor loved ones by preserving their bodies. By the way, when I die, make sure that you stuff me in a dynamic pose. Don't let the kids put my hands in rude positions."

Ellie snapped her fingers.

"Ah-ha! You never buried Zebil, therefore you never let him go!"

Elkay moved from side to side.

"Not true. This is the _best_ way to let go. Besides, I buried his brain, so the important stuff is interred. The rest of the meat was sent to starving children in Overworld Africa, in case you were wondering."

Ellie blinked.

"I . . . um . . . I don't know if that's good or bad . . ."

"It's good."

Ellie rubbed her forehead.

"Are you _sure_ this doesn't bother you?"

Elkay hopped up and down.

"Most definitely."

"Then it must be something else. Follow me."

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay was brought to Raptor Valley, where a gang of velociraptors was waiting. Ellie had them sit in a circle. Nobody knew what she had planned, but they trusted her judgment.

"Alright, everyone, this is an intervention," she announced.

"Why are the raptors here?" Elkay asked, "They're not my friends."

Ellie rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"I . . . Well, I couldn't find anyone close to you."

Elkay nodded.

"Sounds about right. Can each raptor please speak so I know who you are? Your molds are all the same."

The raptors gave each other concerned looks. Finally, the first raptor stood up.

"I'm Kipper."

"Bucky."

"Lance."

"Crusher."

"Princeton."

The last raptor waved, but said nothing. Elkay deduced that he was Otto.

"Alright, let's get this started," Ellie said cheerfully, "Do we have any opening thoughts?"

"We're not made of Lego," Crusher muttered.

Kipper elbowed him.

"What he _means_ to say is: you seem to be suffering from minor delusions, Mrs. Dragon. If you need help with anything, just let us know."

Elkay gave an open-mouthed smile.

"Thank you, Kipper. I'm so glad I decided not to kill you."

Kipper's pupils shrunk noticeably. He stood up and strutted away.

"I just remembered, I have a thing to do."

When he was out of sight, the raptors turned back to the circle awkwardly. Princeton, undaunted by the oddness of their situation, sprouted bright pink feathers and pranced up to Elkay.

"Girl, you need to snap out of it. These people love you, and only want what's best for you. Stop having these cray-cray fantasies and face the real world."

Elkay blinked.

"Princeton, _you're_ the one who's cray-cray."

Princeton laughed.

"She's kind of right."

Ellie shook her head.

"This isn't working."

Crusher crossed his arms.

"Can we go now?"

Ellie sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Thank you for coming."

The raptors scattered, and Elkay picked up her granddaughter, giving her a Lego-hug.

"Don't be sad, Ellie. Everything is awesome. We're going to be Lego forever and ever."

Ellie frowned angrily.

"We're not Lego. How can I make you see that?"

Elkay smiled.

"You're delusional, Ellie. Everything around us is made of bricks . . . or blocks. I never learned the official term."

Ellie growled.

"You're crazy."

Elkay giggled.

"I'm not crazy. Everything fits. We're Lego. The world is Lego. This is how it's meant to be."

Ellie rubbed her chin. If Elkay thought that everything was Lego, maybe making her statement partly true would help. It was worth a shot, anyway.

Using a good chunk of her magic, Ellie changed herself and Elkay into actual Lego characters. By Elkay's open-mouthed expression, Ellie could tell that her theory was accurate. The dragon shrieked and flew off.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ellie growled.

She soared after Elkay on plastic wings, which were attached to her back with little hook-clips. The dragon, in turn, flapped her own creaky wings, but she wasn't fast enough. Ellie tackled her in midair. They fell in the middle of a field.

"Why did you change me back?" Elkay shrieked.

"You have to face your problems!" Ellie roared.

"No! No, I don't!" Elkay screamed.

Ellie pinned her to the ground.

"Tell me what's wrong!"

"No!"

"Tell me!"

"I can't!"

"TELL ME!"

Elkay whimpered.

"Zebil's been dead for over a year . . ."

"I knew you weren't over him!" Ellie proclaimed victoriously.

"I am!"

"Then what's wrong?" Ellie barked.

"Dragons have a long gestation period."

Ellie froze. She let her grandmother go, and they both changed back into organic beings. Elkay was crying. Ellie slid off of her and looked away guiltily.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you."

"Tell me that everything will be okay."

"But I don't know if it will be . . ."

"Tell me anyway."

Ellie shook her head.

"You have to deal with this maturely. You can't just deny that something is wrong. That was your problem last time."

Elkay sniffled.

"Can't I just find a nice couple and-"

"Not this time," Ellie said harshly, "You have to do this yourself."

"Why?"

"Because dumping your kids on other people didn't work the last hundred times you tried it."

Elkay looked down. Then, she sighed.

"Will you help me?"

"Of course. Everyone will help you. But you have to do most of the work yourself."

Elkay nodded.

"That's fair."

She curled her tail around her feet and hunched her shoulders.

"I really screwed up, didn't I?"

Ellie shook her head.

"Not all accidents are mistakes."

There was a moment of silence. Ellie put her hand on Elkay's arm.

"You can do this."

"Maybe," Elkay sighed, "I guess we'll have to wait and see."


	64. Butterfly In The Sky

"ROOOOOOOOOAR!"

Owen chased after Lily, curving his fingers into claws. She squealed with glee and ran under the bench-swing on the porch. Owen made growling sounds and stomped over to where she was hiding.

"Where is Lily?" he growled, "I can't see her anywhere!"

Lily giggled and put her hands over her snout.

"She's hiding somewhere nearby . . ."

Owen dipped his head down and peeked under the bench-swing.

"ROAR!"

Lily screamed excitedly and ran out into the open. Owen pursued her, scooping her up halfway through the field.

"Got you!"

He blew into her belly, and she kicked her legs with glee. When he lifted his head, she leaned forward and chomped down on his nose. Owen winced.

"Why do you always do that?"

Lily laughed at his nasal voice, letting him go. He looked into her eyes and smiled. She had yellow scleras, but there were blue irises around her pupils. Owen thought they were the prettiest eyes he had ever seen.

Placing both hands on his cheeks, Lily smiled up at him. She always looked so proud. Proud to be a daughter and proud to have a father. Owen smiled back, and he felt his eyes prickling. Before he could get sentimental, Lily bit his nose again.

"Ow! Li-ly!"

Claire came lumbering out of the cabin.

"Is she giving you a hard time, Owen?" she hummed.

"No harder than usual," Owen chuckled, "She's a real handful . . . or _foot_ ful, in your case."

Lily smiled and placed her hand on his mouth.

"Looks like she's sick of your jokes, Owen!" Claire teased.

"My humor is too intricate and sophisticated for her to understand."

"She doesn't understand much of anything," Claire laughed.

Owen smiled and shook his head.

"She understands plenty. I can see it in her eyes."

He held up Lily by her armpits.

"You understand me, don't you?"

Lily gave a smile that seemed to display the mysteries of the universe. Owen found himself thinking that maybe she did understand . . . until she bit him on the nose again.

"Ouch!"

Claire laughed.

"You never learn your lesson, do you, Owen?"

"Maybe not."

Claire laughed gently.

"Well, you can take a break now. I'm going to the island for a quick visit. I can take Lily with me."

Owen shook his head.

"No, that's okay. We have an afternoon of fun and games planned."

Claire pursed her beak.

"Owen, you were up all night when she was crying. You need a break."

Owen pouted.

"How am I supposed to be the best dad ever if I don't spend every waking moment with her?"

Claire frowned.

"Owen, take a break. You need rest."

Owen considered it, but when he looked down at Lily, who was wagging her tail eagerly, he shook his head.

"I can watch her for a little while longer. If I get tired, I'll bring her to the island and meet up with you. Deal?"

Claire looked at him reluctantly.

"Owen . . ."

"Please."

Claire sighed.

"Alright. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Owen grinned as he scooped up Lily.

"I won't."

***TSJWFEW***

Around noon, Owen knew that he was in trouble. He felt himself becoming sluggish, and he wasn't keeping up with Lily as well as he should have been. The trouble with having a half-dinosaur child was the unpredictability of her behavior. Very often, she would charge something for no reason, only to hit her head and cry. Owen wasn't sure why she didn't learn to stop running towards solid objects, but maybe she got her impulsivity from him. In any case, he found himself lying on the bench-swing with Lily in his arms, utterly exhausted.

"We're just gonna take a quick nap, okay?" he said, half to himself, "Your mommy wants us to be rested up so we can play. Just close your eyes for a minute, and we'll be back on track."

Lily squeaked and tried to wiggle out of his arms. Owen squeezed her firmly.

"Don't go. I just need to rest for five minutes. Then we can play all day."

Owen wasn't sure when he fell asleep. One minute, he was looking out at the field, and the next, he was dreaming about hiking in the mountains. Eventually, he realized that he had never packed for the climb, and that he must be asleep. He awoke on the bench-swing. It didn't take him long to notice that something was wrong.

"Lily?"

Owen felt around for the child. She was gone. With lightning speed, Owen stood up and looked around frantically.

"Lily? Lily, where _are_ you?"

His heart racing, he tested the front door. It was locked. Lily must still be outside. Owen did a full circle of the cabin, utterly terrified.

"Claire's gonna kill me!" he gasped.

When he returned to the front of the house, Owen felt his heart leap with joy. Lily was crawling across the field, heading towards the forest. It was odd, very odd, that he hadn't seen her before. It would have taken her several minutes to cross the meadow, and she was in plain sight.

Owen rushed forward, calling out as he went.

"Lily! Lily! Lily!"

She ignored him, disappearing into the woods.

"Lily! Come back!"

When Owen reached the border of the field, Lily was gone. How was that possible? He should have caught up to her by now.

"Lily? Lily? Oh, god! Lily!"

Owen searched the forest, but Lily was nowhere to be found. She was too light to leave much of a trail, and there were countless directions she could have gone. Owen felt his insides imploding with guilt. He had lost his daughter. He was the worst father ever.

As he stood at the edge of the forest, Owen's breaths grew shakier. There was a lump in his throat, and his vision was becoming blurry. After a moment, he knew what he had to do. He ran back to the house, entering through the kitchen. He searched the drawers, pulled out a toaster and a fork, and placed them on the counter. For a moment, he hesitated. But _only_ for a moment.

There are very few good reasons for a person to electrocute themselves, but changing into a hybrid dinosaur to sniff out their lost daughter is one of them.

***TSJWFEW***

When Owen recovered from the unpleasantness of the transformation, he ran across the meadow, covering the distance in far fewer steps than before. His sense of smell now heightened to an incredible level, he could tell without a doubt that Lily had traveled this way. He followed her scent into the forest. Trees came crashing down all around him, but he didn't care. His scales were too thick to feel the sting of the branches, and besides, he had more important things to worry about.

"RRROWL!"

Owen called out, but although he knew what he was trying to say, the words turned into indiscernible noises. Closing his eyes to concentrate, Owen focused on his facial movements.

"L- LRRR!"

He brayed in frustration and tried again.

"LRRRLRRR!"

He stomped his foot. Well, that was that. He couldn't speak. It didn't matter, anyway, because he would be able to find Lily by her scent alone. He continued down the trail, his nostrils flaring continuously.

When he reached a thinner part of the forest, Owen pulled back his head and snorted. There was a tiny, brown puddle on the ground, which was a sign that Lily had come by not too long ago. Owen had never known any child who could produce such foamy leavings. It was perfectly healthy, but gross all the same.

Owen squeezed through two trees and continued down the scent-trail. He crossed a river, but stopped on the other side. Was it possible that Lily had been washed away by the water? No. Her scent continued up a steep hill. She had hopped across the stepping stones. She was determined to get herself into trouble.

As Owen climbed the hill, a second scent joined Lily's. It wasn't going down the same trail, but rather, seemed to be crossing it. It was fresher than any other scent in the forest, and Owen felt himself getting distracted. When he cleared the ridge, he saw the source of the smell. A young black bear was rooting through the dirt in the middle of a clearing. It looked up at Owen and roared. Without thinking, Owen dashed forward and attacked the animal. It was prepared to fight, but Owen clamped his jaws around it before it had the chance. After shaking the corpse a couple times, Owen dropped the carcass and pulled open the ribcage with his claws. He started tearing out the bear's insides, tilting his head back to swallow the larger chunks of meat.

Halfway through his meal, Owen froze. He had let his instincts get the better of him. He must be the worst father on earth, to abandon Lily like that. With a guilty rumble, Owen licked his chops and continued to follow his daughter's trail.

***TSJWFEW***

Eventually, Lily's scent became so strong that Owen was positive he'd bump into her at any moment. He expected to see her peeking out from behind a tree, or else charge up to him and ram her head into his leg, as she so often did. He swiveled his head from side to side, trying to spot a beige dinosaur through the trees and bushes. Finally, he found her. To his horror, she was skipping across a log that was hanging precariously over a large canyon. If she slipped, she wouldn't survive the fall.

 _Lily!_

Owen ran up to her. When she heard his footsteps, she turned around with a surprised look. After a moment, her eyes went wide, and she backed up rapidly.

 _No, Lily! Come back!_

As Lily scooted further down the log, Owen realized just how terrifying he must look to her. Steadying his breathing so that he could speak to her calmly, he stepped towards the uprooted tree with trepidation.

 _Lily, it's me._

She whimpered and backed up until she reached the edge of the log. Her foot slipped over the end, and she squeaked in fear.

 _It's me. It's your daddy._

Owen tried to lean forward, but Lily sucked her lips inwards. As she squinted her eyes, she curled up until she was very small. Owen's heart fell. He knew what that face meant. Lily started crying. At first, she coughed and hiccupped, but soon, she was bawling her eyes out. She whimpered and shrieked and made a whole lot of unhappy noises. Owen bit his lip and inched forward.

 _Don't cry, Lily. I'm not going to hurt you. I know I look scary, but it's just me inside of this body. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid . . ._

Owen leaned over the log. If he could snatch up Lily quickly, he could at least prevent her from falling, which was his primary concern. He scooted forward with his belly pressed against the bark, keeping both feet firmly on the edge of the cliff.

 _Shhh . . . I'm coming, Lily. I'm coming._

Suddenly, the log slid forward. Owen's weight had caused it to tear away from the ground. Thinking fast, he dug his claws into the wood. Lily shrieked as she dangled over the edge. Owen yanked the log back until it was almost horizontal again. Lily climbed back up and started crying harder than ever.

 _Don't fall, Lily! Don't fall! I can't lose you . . ._

Owen could feel the log slipping out of his grasp. He wasn't strong enough to pull it back over the ridge. All he could do was delay the fall. Poor Lily refused to move towards him. She was inches away from her salvation, but to her, moving to either end of the log meant death. Owen felt his heart breaking as he saw the fear in her eyes. She was utterly terrified. Trying one last time to pull the log back up, Owen grunted with concentration, but his efforts were fruitless. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead, and he felt the log slipping very far, indeed.

 _Lily! Oh, god! Lily!_

Owen stared at his daughter, wishing with every fiber of his existence that she would recognize him. He didn't blame her for being afraid. He'd be terrified too if he saw a giant carnivorous dinosaur with a mustache staring at him.

His last shred of hope was beginning to fade away. Lily was paralyzed with fear, and that wasn't about to change. Owen felt grief overcoming him. He started breathing unsteadily, and before he knew it, tears were trickling down his cheeks.

 _I'm sorry, Lily. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let you run away._

Owen started sniffling. He couldn't stop himself from sobbing in a kind of roar-bark. The log was slipping further with each passing second.

 _I wanted to be a good father, but I screwed up big time. I guess it runs in the family. You'd have been better off without me . . ._

From out of nowhere, a small, green butterfly fluttered into view. It flew over to Lily, landing on her front horn. Forgetting all about her mortal peril, Lily smiled with glee. The butterfly took off once more and landed on Owen's snout. It remained there for a very long time. Slowly, Lily walked forward.

Owen felt his strength coming back to him. He dug his claws deeper into the log and prayed that Lily would come close enough for him to reach her. She moved towards the butterfly. It flew off of Owen's face, and for a moment, he feared that he was out of luck. Then, Lily dashed forward and bit his nose.

His heart swelling with joy, Owen let Lily crawl up on top of his head. She sat on his snout and looked into his eyes, smiling happily. Owen stood up and let the log crash into the canyon. Lily jumped at the loud noise, but Owen held her firmly against his face with one paw. As she slipped into the crook of his arm, Owen felt himself shrinking. His claws disappeared, and his teeth sunk back into his mouth. He was relieved to be human again, but he was even more relieved that Lily was okay. Crying with joy, he held her against his chest and kissed her forehead. She giggled and bit his nose once more for good measure.

As Owen carried Lily back to the cabin, the green butterfly danced around his head. He shifted Lily to one arm and raised the other. The butterfly landed on his finger. Its wings creaked up and down slowly. Lily watched it with fascination. Owen smiled as it took flight once more.

"Thank you, Flower."

***TSJWFEW***

When they got home, Claire was still in the other world. Owen was relieved, as she would have panicked if she had returned only to find them absent. With an exhausted sigh, he sat down on the bench-swing, placing Lily on the ground.

"Don't you go running off, you hear? I might not be able to find you if you disappear again."

Lily smiled up at him innocently. Then, she scrunched up her face tightly. Owen's jaw dropped as her scales changed color. Soon, she was as brown as the deck she was sitting on.

"Oh my god . . ."

Lily exhaled and changed back to her usual hue. She lifted her arms, opening and closing her hands. Owen picked her up.

"How did you do that?"

Lily squeaked. Owen twisted his mouth thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should keep this our little secret."


	65. Mozaradon Goes On A Date

It was a pleasant day. Although there were clouds in the sky, they didn't completely block out the sun. This meant that the temperature remained relatively stable. It was perfect weather for a meeting. Claire knew this because she was in the middle of one. She sat at a picnic table with Ellie, discussing very important matters.

"So, what are you saying, exactly?" Claire asked, "Are my horns supposed to be breasts?"

Ellie shook her head.

"No, but they produce milk. Lily needs both milk and regurgitated plants to stay healthy."

Claire gulped.

"I'm not sure how to-"

"It'll come to you naturally," Ellie said breezily, "Once she starts crying, you'll throw up."

"Throw up?" Claire echoed.

"Well, you'll expel a malty substance from your smallest stomach."

"How many stomachs do I have?"

"Three."

Claire looked down at her belly with disgust.

"I know next to nothing about this body. It took me ages before I discovered my ability to fly, even."

Ellie shrugged.

"All you really need to know is that you're biologically sound. If you encounter a problem, I can always fix it."

Claire looked out at the field. Lily was picking flowers. She stared at her pensively.

"What about Lily? She's a double hybrid. Is she going to have developmental problems?"

Ellie nodded.

"Most likely. But it's nothing you can't overcome. You just have to- LIAM!"

Ellie ran over and caught her raptor son, who was chasing Lily.

"Liam, don't tease the herbivores!"

The raptor wiggled out of her arms.

"I was just playing! Honest!"

Ellie crossed her arms and frowned.

"Go back to Isla Nublar."

"But-"

"Go. I'm in the middle of an important meeting, and I can't have you goofing off."

Liam pouted, but turned around and walked towards the portal that led to the other world.

"I was just playing . . ." he muttered.

When he was gone, Ellie sat down on the bench and rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry. I should have known that he'd cause trouble. I'll just leave him with Alan next time."

Claire picked up Lily and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I'm worried, Ellie. I know nothing about raising children, and less about raising dinosaurs."

"Well, neither did I, when I started. Now five out of my six children are dinosaurs."

Claire blinked.

"Five dinosaurs?"

Ellie nodded.

"I adopted a T-Rex yesterday. We tried to find him a good home, but along the way, I discovered that he'd be happy with my family."

Claire smiled.

"That sounds nice. Do you think Lily will be happy with Owen and me?"

"Do you love her?"

"Of course!" Claire affirmed.

"Then she'll be happy," Ellie stated.

Claire looked down at Lily, who was sucking on the tip of her tail. She smiled at her mother and gave a little squeak.

"You know, when I first found out that I was going to have a baby, I was terrified that she'd turn out to be a hybrid. Now, I look at her, and I can't imagine life any other way."

Ellie smiled.

"Funny how that is."

Claire held Lily against her chest.

"Yeah. Funny."

***TSJWFEW***

"Apple . . . APPLE. Say 'Apple'."

Zara held a flashcard in front of Lily's face. Both parties were getting frustrated with each other. It was only a matter of time before someone snapped.

"Apple. A-P-P-L-E. Apple."

Lily leaned back, not wanting to play whatever game Zara was forcing upon her. Noticing her distress, Claire and Owen ran to her rescue.

"Um, Zara, I don't think she wants to do that," Owen mumbled.

Zara scoffed.

"She has to. She _must_ learn to speak, or she'll have delayed development."

Claire rubbed her front foot nervously.

"Look, Zara, I know you want to help, but Lily isn't a regular child. She might not ever speak."

Zara pointed to a parenting book that she just happened to bring with her.

"It says here that the earlier you develop a child's social skills, the more success they have in life."

Claire gave an awkward rumble.

"We can't raise Lily like a human child. She's special."

Zara crossed her arms.

"Great. First you turn down the potty, now this."

Claire smiled helplessly.

"Lily knows to go outside. And I don't see the point of using flashcards. She might not even have vocal cords, and there's no proof that she understands us."

They turned as they heard a surprised grunt. Lily was lying on her back. She had obviously tried to do some sort of complicated maneuver. Owen ran over and scooped her up as she started to cry.

"Oh, baby. Did you hurt yourself?"

Lily looked up at him with a trembling lip. Owen kissed her hand.

"There. All better. You okay, baby girl?"

Lily was not okay. She whined pitifully and hugged his neck. Owen sighed and rolled his eyes.

"She's a bit of a drama queen. I think she gets it from Claire."

Claire snorted. Owen smiled and carried Lily up to her room. Zara dropped her flashcards and crossed her wings grumpily.

"I don't see what the problem is. Lily came from two intelligent parents. She should be normal."

Claire sighed.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on her. Lily is her own person. She may have come from Owen and me, but that doesn't mean she's exactly like us."

Zara growled.

"I would have thought that you'd be aiming for an honors student."

Claire smiled.

"I would have thought so too, but that was before I met Lily. She's so sweet and innocent and wonderful . . . I love her infinitely. I don't need to change her, and I don't think I could if I wanted to."

Zara pouted.

"Lucky you. You get to have a perfect child."

Claire cocked her head.

"Zara, is something . . . wrong?"

Claire jumped as Zara wheeled around and started shaking her tail.

" _This_ is what's wrong, Claire! For over a year, I've been trying my best to forget the fact that I'm stuck in the body of a blubbery whale, but now everyone I know is getting married and having kids, and I spend my free time alone!"

Claire bit her beak.

"Zara, I'm sure there's someone out there for you . . ."

She snorted.

"Yeah. I know. I've been seeing someone."

"Really?!" Claire gasped excitedly.

"I've been talking to this guy online," Zara muttered, "He's very kind, and I've grown to like him. Given the circumstances, he's been very accepting, but it'll never work out."

Claire twisted her beak.

"How do you know?"

"He lives in _this_ world, for one thing . . ."

Claire wrapped her tail around her front feet.

"Look, Zara, I'm sorry you're stuck this way, but a lot of us are. We just have to stay positive."

Zara frowned bitterly and turned around.

"That's easy for you to say. You have a family. I have no one."

Claire felt her heart pang with guilt as Zara slid away. More than anything, she wanted to help her friend . . . and she knew exactly what needed to be done!

***TSJWFEW***

"Ellie, I need some information," Claire announced as she galloped towards a small pond, "Zara met her soulmate online, and I want to set up a surprise date for her. Tell me who she's seeing."

Ellie scooped a beaker of water out of the pond and tapped the side, letting the scum settle. Claire tapped her toes anxiously as she waited for a response.

"That's personal information," Ellie said, still staring at the beaker, "If I give it to you, I'll be violating her right to privacy."

Claire rumbled angrily.

"It's going to benefit her in the long run."

Ellie shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. I can't do it."

Claire hummed.

"What will it take to get you to agree to this?"

Ellie sighed.

"God, I wish you'd drop this. Fine. My grandmother wants to make a talking stuffed animal based on you. Make a voice recording for her, and we'll talk."

Claire raised her eyebrow.

"What do I have to say?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Something like 'My name is Claire!', 'I'm a stegoceratops!', and 'I love you!'. You know: the basics."

"And then you'll help me find this mystery man?"

Ellie nodded.

"Yes, but if things go wrong, don't blame me."

Claire gave a triumphant laugh.

"Perfect! Everything is going according to plan . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire felt very pleased with herself. Not only had she found Zara's crush, but she had arranged for him to visit Isla Nublar. He lived in Milwaukee, but fortunately for him, Claire had an abundance of wealth (due to the royalties from her voice recording). She bought him a plane ticket, and he agreed to spend a few days on the island. He seemed very excited to meet Zara, which made Claire confident that things would turn out just fine.

When the day of the big meeting came, Claire and Owen brought the man, whose name was Michael, to Isla Nublar (via portal, as per usual). He was shocked that Claire was a dinosaur, which was odd, considering Zara had supposedly mentioned her several times in their little chats. In any case, he was still excited for his date, so much so that he barely noticed all of the dinosaurs that passed them on the road.

Owen had to leave Claire to supervise Lily during her afternoon nap, which meant that she was free to carry out her mission alone. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself. All of Zara's dreams were about to come true, and it was all thanks to her. It was nice to know that she hadn't lost her people skills, even after letting them sit for so long.

When they reached the lagoon, they found a mosasaur resting in the shallow water. Claire wasn't sure if it could speak, but she tried communicating with it anyway.

"Um, hello. Is Zara here?"

'Rhoo, rhoo rhoo. Rhoo rhoo rhoo rhoo rhoo rhoo.'

Claire didn't understand a word of what she said, but the mosasaur nodded before swimming away, which probably meant that she was going to send Zara over. Claire waited by the shore with Michael. He put his hands in his pockets and looked around awkwardly.

"Is Zara around?"

Claire nodded.

"I think the mosasaur left to find her. She spends most of her time here."

Michael peered into the murky darkness.

"Does she swim a lot?"

Claire laughed.

"Well, naturally. I'm pretty sure she has to, in order to stay healthy."

Michael hummed.

"She never mentioned anything about that kind of exercise."

"Well, it's probably not athletic swimming," Claire speculated, "I imagine she'd dry out if she were to stay out of the water too long."

Michael gave her a look of complete and utter confusion. Claire didn't understand why he was so perplexed by her words.

 _Unless_ . . .

Claire thought back to what Zara had said earlier: _Given the circumstances, he's been very accepting, but it'll never work out._ Claire had assumed that Zara meant that Michael had accepted the fact that she wasn't human, but that was not necessarily the case. When Claire replayed the conversation in her mind, she realized that Zara had never outright stated that Michael knew she was a Mosadon. And if he didn't know . . .

"We have to go. Now!" Claire gasped.

She pushed Michael away with her horns, but he darted to the side and jogged back to the lagoon.

"Why? We only just got here."

Claire felt her heart pounding in her chest.

"I just remembered: there's a . . . thing that we need to do first. Come on. Hurry."

Michael frowned.

"But we're already here! I want to meet Zara."

Claire dug her toes into the ground.

"We can't! She's-"

Claire's stomach did a flip when she saw a shadow approaching them from beneath the water. She tried to push Michael away one last time, but it was too late. Zara popped out of the water, sliding through the sand like a giant seal.

"Hi, Claire! Why are you- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

She screamed in terror when she noticed Michael. He seemed quite shocked to see her too, and promptly ran away at full force. Zara didn't stop screaming. At one point, Claire was forced to cover her ears, leaning forward on her elbows for balance. Finally, Zara had to take a breath. She stared at Claire with eyes as big as dinner plates (which wasn't even a hyperbole, given her size) and trembled like a leaf.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT DID YOU _DO_?!"

Claire whimpered.

"Oh, god. Zara, I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

Claire gulped.

"I was- Well, I thought it would make you feel better . . ."

Zara fell forward and placed her wings over her eyes.

"This is the worst day of my life!"

Claire looked away guiltily. When she heard Zara crying, she knew that she had done a terrible thing. Hoping to salvage the situation, she took a deep breath to calm herself down and planned a quick fix.

"Zara, it's going to be okay. I made a mistake, but I'm going to fix it. Wait here."

She ran away before Zara could say another word.

***TSJWFEW***

A few minutes later, Claire returned to the lagoon. Zara was no longer in the water, but the belly-drag marks in the sand gave away her current location. Claire followed her trail all the way to a large shed. She tried to open the door with her beak, but it was locked. She took a deep breath and knocked timidly.

"Zara?"

"Go away!"

Claire bit her beak and sat down.

"Zara, I'm really sorry. I had no idea you hadn't told him-"

"NO IDEA? Claire, why on earth _would_ I tell him? Do you honestly think he'd still love me if he knew?"

"Maybe . . ."

"Not everyone is like Owen, Claire."

Feeling her stomach (or stomachs, plural) twist with guilt, Claire wrapped her tail around her feet and sighed.

"I talked to Michael. He's waiting in the Visitors' Center."

"Send him home."

"I don't want to do that, Zara. I explained everything to him, and he- well, he _knows_ now . . ."

Zara gave a bitter scoff.

"Great. Have him sign a nondisclosure form, _then_ send him home."

Claire shook her head.

"Zara, I think you should talk to him."

"Why bother? He'll just run away when he sees me coming."

"Maybe if you don't scream at him this time . . ."

Claire heard Zara's tail hit the ground.

"I don't want to see him again."

"But he came all this way for you."

Claire leapt back as the door slammed open. Zara stepped out and spread her wings.

"He didn't come for _this_ , Claire. He came for someone beautiful, or at the very least not covered in scales. Do you honestly think he'll be okay with dating a monster?"

Claire looked away.

"Well, if he likes your personality-"

Zara growled.

"I have news for you, Claire. When you look like _this_ , nobody cares about your personality."

Claire stepped back.

"But- Well- I mean-"

"You think that everyone is okay with freaky mutant hybrids, but you're wrong. You're a herbivore. So is Vivian. When you two act like dinosaurs, it's _cute_. But I'm not cute, Claire. I have a beak full of teeth, claws on my wings, and talons on my feet. People are _afraid_ of me. Whenever they see me eating a hamburger, they wonder if they're next."

"But you wouldn't eat-"

"If you didn't know me, would you trust me?"

"Zara-"

She bared her teeth.

"Would you trust _this_?"

Claire rumbled guiltily and closed her eyes. Zara sneered and turned away.

"I didn't think so."

For a moment, Claire considered letting her go, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to stand idly by while her friend was suffering. She cantered forward and blocked Zara's path.

"Wait. Just wait a minute. I know I screwed up, but I want to try and fix this."

"How?" Zara hissed.

Claire stood a little taller.

"You're going to go on this date, and it's going to be wonderful."

Zara shook her head.

"I can't-"

"Look, you have nothing to lose, right?" Claire reasoned, "Why not try it out? I mean, it's not like you could have kept your secret safe forever, so you would have had to end it somehow. Why not end it like this?"

Zara frowned.

"Somehow, this isn't making me feel any better."

Claire placed her front foot on Zara's wing.

"Please. Can you just try?"

Zara glared at her.

"I'll talk to Michael, but only because I don't want him to think I'm a coward."

Claire wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer, but it was the best she could have hoped for.

***TSJWFEW***

Zara found her Internet lover sitting alone at a table on the patio of the Visitors' Center cafeteria. There was no one else around, so he was obviously waiting for her. The sun was beginning to set, and it cast beautiful shadows on the grass. Zara couldn't help but feel that the setting was gorgeously romantic. It was a shame that the real situation was anything but. What a waste. Here she was, about to meet the man she loved, and it would be a miracle if she could get through the night without crying.

When Michael saw her coming, he gave a little jump. Zara bit her lip and tried to ignore it. She sat down on the opposite end of the table and folded her wings behind her. Michael gave an uncomfortable smile.

"Hi. Claire told me-"

"I know," Zara said quietly, "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth sooner. I guess I just wanted this to last. I'm never going to be able to-"

She broke off, sensing a lump in her throat. Quickly, she dug her talons into her fins to keep herself from tearing up.

"I'm sorry."

Michael's mouth twitched a little, and he leaned forward on the table.

"You don't have to apologize. I understand."

Zara nodded solemnly.

"I'm sure Claire can send you home. If she can't, Ellie-"

Michael held up his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere. I came here to get to know you better, and that's what I'm gonna do."

Zara felt her heart growing less heavy with these words. She couldn't help but smile, though she knew she must look terrifying.

"You're staying?"

"For three days, yes."

Zara beamed.

"Thank you."

Taking this as a cue that things were going well, Ellie burst out from behind a black curtain with two plates of fried fish.

"Who's hungry?"

Zara blinked.

"How long have you been waiting there?"

"About thirty minutes. Just eat your fish."

She placed the plates on the table and jogged away, leaving the two of them alone. Zara looked down at her meal and licked her lips. She hadn't eaten all afternoon, and with a body like hers, she needed all the food she could get. She quickly dipped her head down and started pecking at her plate.

About halfway through her supper, Zara noticed that Michael was staring at her. Her eyes went wide, and she wiped her mouth with her wing.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"This is going to sound odd, but can I look at your teeth?"

Zara blinked.

"My teeth?"

Michael nodded.

"Yeah. I'm a dentist, so I thought it might be interesting to see how that all works . . . if you don't mind."

Zara shrugged.

"It's fine by me."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire couldn't believe how stupid she was. She should have known better than to assume that Zara had told Michael about her . . . hybridness. In the same situation, Claire might have done something similar. She was just used to telling the truth because everyone who was close to her already knew her secret and accepted her for it. Zara had a point about being a carnivore: it certainly wouldn't be easy to have everyone thinking that they were about to become her lunch. She wondered if Zara really did have carnivorous instincts. She trusted her, of course, but since Claire often found herself eating grass (and flowers and ferns and leaves), she couldn't help but wonder if Zara was secretly suppressing the urge to eat her friends. Maybe that's what was upsetting her. Then again, Claire had no proof . . .

. . . _except for the fact that Michael was standing in her mouth right now!_

Claire trumpeted in alarm and charged at her friend.

"Zara, no!"

Surprised by the sudden noise, Zara shut her mouth, forgetting that Michael was still inside. She flapped her wings in panic, dry-heaved, and spat him out on the lawn. He lay on his back, trembling in fear. Zara gasped and fluttered down from the patio.

"Michael! Michael! Are you hurt?"

He made a quiet whimpering sound. Zara put her wings over her mouth.

"Oh my god . . ."

She turned to Claire.

"What did you do _that_ for?"

Claire gulped.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were eating him."

Zara glared at Claire with resentment, then turned her attention to Michael, who was starting to get up. He tried to wipe the saliva off of his clothes, only to find that it stuck to his hands in goopy strings. Zara bent her head down to help him, but he jumped back in alarm. After an awkward pause, she turned away.

"This was a mistake."

Claire rumbled guiltily and trotted after her.

"Zara, I-"

"Just leave me alone, Claire. I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

Claire slowed to a stop, then sat down on the grass. Michael walked up beside her and sighed.

"She's really different in person. I got the impression that she was confident and outgoing, but she's so shy . . ."

Claire nodded slowly.

"That's my fault. If I hadn't meddled in her business, she'd have no reason to be so gloomy. I had no idea she was afraid of being hurt. I guess we all are, in a way."

Michael watched Zara inching away on her belly, her head hanging low. After a moment, he held his hand in front of Claire's face.

"Sit. Stay. I'm going to talk to her."

Claire frowned.

"I'm not a dog . . ."

Michael jogged after Zara, trying to keep up with her giant sliding steps. He reached for her hand, only to find that she had none, and settled on holding the tip of her wing. She slowed down and took a deep breath.

"What do you want?"

Michael smiled gently.

"Well, I thought we might be able to continue our date. You know, as long as that rhinoceros doesn't interrupt us again."

Zara stared down at him in disbelief.

"After all of that, you still want to stay?"

Michael nodded.

"Yeah. I've had worse dates. This one time, I was really sick, and I sneezed all over my girlfriend's spaghetti."

Zara crinkled her snout.

"Yuck."

Michael chuckled.

"That's not even the worst part. She kept eating, because she didn't want to waste food."

Zara gasped.

"Oh my god! That reminds me of this one guy I dated in college who would always lick his plates. He even did it in public. I had to go to the bathroom at the end of every date so I wouldn't be seen with him."

They continued to swap stories, making their way back to the cafeteria. Claire watched them from afar. Sensing that things were going well, she turned around and made her way across the island. On the way, she bumped into Owen, who was carrying Lily in his arms.

"There you are! We were starting to worry."

Claire smiled.

"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

She stood on her tiptoes and gave Owen a kiss. He smiled at her deviously.

"Guess what we found while we were looking for you . . ."

Claire's face fell when he held up a stuffed stegoceratops. He squeezed its foot, and it started dancing.

 _Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah!_

Owen danced along with it, making a point of swinging his hips. Lily raised her arms and squealed with glee. Owen tried to get Claire to dance too, but she simply rolled her eyes and bumped him with her tail.

"Alright. That's enough fun for one day."

Owen gave a snorting laugh and followed her into the portal that led home. When they entered their cabin, he raised his eyebrow.

"By the way, how was Zara's date?"

Claire gave a nervous laugh.

"It was splashing!"


	66. Freedom

Mirrors.

We have reason to fear mirrors. They tell us the truth. We cannot change what we see inside of them any more than we can change ourselves. Some find comfort in mirrors, because they are happy with what they are. Others can't bear to accept reflected reality.

Claire does not like mirrors. She doesn't just see the truth in them. Something far more sinister lurks in the reflective glass. Inside a mirror, Claire sees the question of "What If?". Her future could have been so much grander, had she remained human. Oh, what she would give to spend just one day among normal people. Claire loved her friends, but even so, she knew that her world had grown a lot smaller in the past few years. She lived in a bubble that spanned only her cabin and Isla Nublar. Anything outside of that was lost to her.

Claire stared at her reflection and felt tears trickling down her face. It was getting harder and harder to imagine the human that used to stare back at her. When she first changed, she was able to create a false image from flickers of memory, but now, she looked into the mirror and saw nothing but a dinosaur.

"What's wrong with you?" Claire whispered to herself, "Don't you know what you are?"

She continued to gaze at herself until she felt something touch her. She looked down and saw Lily holding her toe. She had obviously snuck away from Zara, who was proving to have a poor track record with childcare.

Claire cocked her head as Lily turned to leave. She thought she detected something not unlike fear in her eyes. Perhaps she sensed that Claire was thinking about subjects that pertained to her. But no. That was impossible. Lily didn't understand. She was half dinosaur, after all. It was unlikely that she would _ever_ understand.

Slowly, Claire picked up her daughter, holding her in front of her face. Lily put her front feet on her beak and held her gaze. Claire did not speak, but her mind was going at full force.

 _What are you, Lily? Are you really just an animal? Have I given birth to something that can never truly understand what she is? Any dinosaur would tell you that you are not a dinosaur, and any human would tell you that you are not a human. Where do you fit in, Lily? Are you just another one of my mistakes? Have I made you miserable? Neither of us is a human or a dinosaur. We don't belong anywhere. I brought you into this world knowing that this was your destiny. You'll be as miserable as I am, and it's all my fault. I am not pure, and so you are not pure. I made you this way. You must hate me._

And then, something incredible happened. Lily opened her mouth and spoke.

"Ma."

Claire's jaw dropped. She kept repeating the sound in her mind, unable to believe that it had been uttered. Was Lily just making random noises? No, it was as clear as day. She had spoken. She had spoken and she had reserved her first word for Claire. Claire, her mother.

Tears running down her face, Claire held Lily against her chest and rocked her back and forth. She yawned and nuzzled up against her scales. Claire smiled and laughed and cried all at once.

"It was worth it, Lily. Oh, god, don't you ever believe it wasn't worth it. I love you. I love you _so_ much. I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. Not even my humanity."

Lily stared up at her with big, innocent eyes. Claire gave a happy rumble and squeezed her gently.

"I love you, Lily. I love you."

She seemed satisfied with Claire's statement.

***TSJWFEW***

A few days later, it happened. Claire was standing in the kitchen with Owen, preparing lunch, when she froze in mid stride. Adjusting her stance, she turned around and rotated her tail pensively. Owen caught sight of this odd phenomenon, and watched in fascination. Claire swung her tail slowly, like a golfer preparing to hit a ball. She looked up a little and let her plates creak in and out, then fluttered them a little faster. She spun around a few times, craning her neck every which way. When she stood up from an almost-headstand, she looked at Owen and said the sweetest words he'd ever heard.

"I think I like myself."

She spoke in such a way that made her sound surprised and awestruck all at once. She sat on her rump with her mouth agape.

"I like myself. I like being me. Owen, I'm _happy_."

He smiled.

"Well, that's great, Claire! I-"

She rushed forward and hugged him. Owen's eyes went wide as she started planting kisses on top of his head.

"Wow, Claire, you're really-"

She held him against her belly, moving him around and around in circles.

"Do you feel that?" she whispered.

"Feel what?"

"I'm huge!" she cheered, "I'm huge and I don't even mind!"

She laughed and rolled backwards, kicking her feet in the air.

"I love you, I love you, I love you! And I love being fat! Look at my belly!"

"I'm looking . . ." Owen wheezed as she squeezed him tightly.

Claire made a high-pitched squealing sound and stood up. Owen clung to her belly in alarm.

"Claire, I'm still-"

He slipped and fell to the floor. Claire hopped over him and ran outside. Owen jogged into the living room, picked up Lily, and followed her. When he caught up, Claire was rolling around in a mud puddle. She buried her face in the muck, wallowing in the silt like a very happy pig. Lily stared at her with shock. It was very possible that Claire had lost her mind.

"Owen, come here!" Claire called.

He placed Lily in the grass and made his way over to the puddle cautiously. Claire shifted her weight to her back legs . . . then sprung forward and pulled him in! Owen gasped in surprise as Claire dragged him through the mud, laughing like a hyena.

"Claire, what the hell-"

She rubbed her cheek against his chest.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

Owen sputtered.

"My beard is getting dirty!"

Claire laughed and let him stand. She arched her back and made her plates buzz, splattering mud everywhere. Owen frowned and wiped his face.

"Claire, I'm glad you're happy, but-"

He fell silent as she leaned forward and licked his cheek. Standing petrified in the puddle, he crossed his eyes dopily.

"What was I saying?"

Claire grinned.

"Who cares!"

She slid her tail through the mud, creating a tidal wave that splashed Owen from head to toe. He smiled deviously, bent over, and made a mud ball. Claire giggled and dodged it as he tried to throw it at her. Their playful actions escalated into a full out mud fight. They splashed and slid and rolled and wiggled. Claire was most certainly winning.

Wanting to join in the fun, Lily stepped closer to the puddle. She placed her foot in the slippery goo, then slipped clumsily and slid forward on her belly, bumping into her mother's thigh. Claire laughed and picked her up.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're going to get all dirty!" she said, forgetting the mud that was dripping from her own horns.

Lily smiled and smacked a wad of sludge on Claire's face. She laughed and gave her a noogie.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Lily. I won't be letting you play in the mud every day . . ."

Owen, meanwhile, ran around the side of the house and came back with a hose. Claire's eyes went wide.

"Owen, no!"

He sprayed her. Claire shrieked as the cold water hit her face. Lily laughed and clapped her hands. Owen raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?"

He sprayed Lily, who yelped and ran behind Claire's leg for protection. Owen chuckled and tossed the hose to the side.

"Not so funny when you're the one being soaked, is it?"

Claire smiled and shook herself off. She trotted up to Owen and gave him a kiss. He ran his hand down her cheek, and her plates began to quiver.

"Mmm . . . I love you."

"I love you too," Owen muttered between kisses.

"You know what else?"

"What?"

Claire raised her head and gave a very happy moo. Lily ran up behind her and did the same.

"Mooooooooo!"

Claire scooped her up using her horn.

"MOOOOOOOOO!"

Lily sat up tall and lifted her head like a howling wolf.

"Moo-oo-oo!"

Claire smiled.

"I love you, Lily."

She beamed.

"Love you, Ma! Love you!"

Owen's eyes went wide. He ran over and climbed up on Claire's shoulder.

"She can form sentences. SENTENCES, Claire."

Sensing that she had done something right, Lily lifted her head proudly and puffed out her chest.

"Love you, Ma. Love you, Daddy. Moo! Love you!"

Owen laughed and swung her around.

"Listen to you, Lily. You're a clever girl."

Lily giggled and put her arms around his neck.

"Clever, Daddy. Grrr! _Grrr_! Roar! Roar, Daddy!"

Owen put her down, laughing.

"Oh, Claire. What have we started? Now we're gonna have to find a way to get her to shut up."

Lily ran around in a circle.

"Up! Up! Up, Daddy!"

She laughed and bucked around like a horse at a rodeo.

"Moooooooooooo!"

She bent down, then pushed herself onto two feet.

"Up! Lily up!"

Claire beamed proudly as Lily waddled forward on two legs with her arms tucked in front of her like an elephant. She rested her head against Claire's leg and started nuzzling her.

"Ma. Love you."

Claire smiled down at her, then turned her head to the house. Standing proudly on four legs, she gave Owen a determined nod.

"It's time."

***TSJWFEW***

Zara yawned drowsily as the clouds parted, spreading sunlight across her face. She was lying half immersed in water, with her head in the sand. Her eyelids drooped unevenly, and for a minute, she considered going back to sleep. Instead, she pulled herself out of the water and stretched out her aching back. Nearby, Michael was reading a book in a hammock. Zara inched over to him and kissed his cheek. He jolted and dropped his novel.

"Ah! Zara, warn me first. I didn't see you coming."

Zara blinked, then gave a small smile.

"Sorry. I got a little carried away."

She turned around awkwardly, only to see a strange sight. Someone was moving through the trees with a small procession at her tail. Zara squinted, then pulled her head back in surprise.

"Is that Claire?"

Michael lifted his sunglasses.

"Looks like it, but you'd know better than I."

Zara cocked her head.

"Well, it's about damn time."

***TSJWFEW***

"-all over my face, so you can imagine _that_ date didn't go well. After that, I went out with a monkey, but he went ape over the craziest things-"

Ellie yawned as Elkay recounted stories from her very long, very _boring_ life. She had been going on like this all morning, and Ellie had work to do. Sometimes, it was hard to get her to shut up.

"-giraffe titan, but he thought he was above me, which makes sense if we're talking about height, I guess, but he didn't have to-"

Ellie held up her hand.

"Elkay, as fascinating as this is, I have some things that I need to get done today. I'll be out for a few hours, but I promise I'll listen to the rest of your story once I get back."

Elkay folded her ears angrily.

"That's what you said yesterday!"

Ellie jogged towards the door.

"I know. I'm just a really busy person. When you're Queen of the Universe, you can't spend all of your time listening to one person's anecdotes. There's a world out there that's counting on my guidance, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just be heading out the-"

Ellie was cut off when the doors burst open. With a valiant moo, Claire marched into the Visitors' Center, wearing a white blazer, a skirt, and high heels. She made her way over to Elkay, with Owen and Lily trailing behind her. Lifting her chin with an air of sophistication, she stomped her foot and nodded.

"Claire Dearing is back and ready for action!"

Elkay blinked.

"M'kay. What do you want?"

Claire looked to her left and right.

"Is Ellie around?"

The door closed, revealing a very flat Queen. Claire smiled.

"Ah. There you are. I want a job."

Ellie peeled herself away from the wall.

"A job?" she echoed.

Claire nodded.

"I'm ready to take on whatever challenge you offer, so long as it's not blue collar work."

Ellie rubbed her head.

"Claire, you don't need a job. You already have enough money to get by."

Claire laughed and shook her head.

"It's not about the money. I want to feel useful again. I have so much to offer Isla Nublar, especially now that I have my confidence back."

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Confidence?"

Claire gave a sharp nod.

"I'm proud to be a stegoceratops. I'm fat and green and I love it!"

Elkay pulled a clipboard from behind her wing.

"Note to self: find Claire a better catchphrase . . ."

Ellie smiled.

"Well, that's great! I'm glad you're back to your old self."

Claire grinned.

"I'm better than my old self! I'm not just Claire Dearing; I'm Super Claire Dearing. From now on, I'm going to be twice the woman I was, not just in size, but in general pizazz!"

Elkay wrote on her clipboard again.

"Note to self: update Claire's buzzwords . . ."

Claire put her front foot on Ellie's shoulder, taking care not to punch her with her high heels.

"Ellie, I can do this. This is what I live for. I'm ready."

Ellie sighed and twisted her mouth.

"Alright. I guess I can let you help me with a few things. I've been meaning to teach kindergarten classes, so this will provide some rel-"

"Speaking of kindergarten, Lily needs to go to school," Claire interrupted, "I want her to have a good education, so we'll enroll her whenever you think she's ready."

Ellie looked at Lily, who was chewing on her father's nose. She separated from his face with a loud pop and waved at her.

"I think it will be a little while yet," Ellie stated, "When she's old enough, she can join one of my classes. The children are mostly raptors, but if we explain her situation, I'm sure they'll accept her."

Claire cocked her head.

"Situation? What situation?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Well, she's not a dinosaur, and certainly not a theropod. The other children might be a little confused as to what she is."

Claire stepped forward defensively.

"She's Lily. That's all they need to know."

Ellie nodded.

"Okay, but what are you going to tell _her_? When she grows up, she's going to have a lot of questions about her identity. It won't take her long to figure out that her parents are very different from everyone else she knows. How are you going to explain your predicament?"

Claire felt her heart drop. She removed the high heels from her front feet and took Lily from Owen's arms. She turned her around slowly, trying to determine a solution for her taxonomy problem. Lily wagged her tail, and a gob of saliva dripped down from her mouth. Claire wiped it away and sighed.

"Lily is a stegoceratops. So am I. I've been a dinosaur my whole life. That's what we'll say."

Ellie furrowed her brow.

"But that's a lie."

Claire nodded.

"It's a lie, but it's a necessary lie. If Lily's going to live a happy life, she should have no doubt that she fits in. If she finds out that I used to be human, she could end up seeing herself as an aberrant creature."

Ellie gave her a nervous look.

"But the sentient dinosaurs of this world are all theropods. Even the people outside of Isla Nublar are far from Lily's genus. I mean, they know who she is, but that's not the issue."

Claire frowned.

"Then what is?"

"You can't keep your true identity a secret forever."

Claire took a deep breath.

"My identity? It's hardly a problem. I know who I am. I'm Claire Dearing. I'm a stegoceratops. I used to be a queen, but now I'm the last of my kind. I am the mother of Lily Dolores Dearing-"

"And Owen Dearing is your husband," Owen added.

"Right," Claire affirmed, "I have family and friends in both worlds, though I am not welcome in the society of one. Two years ago, I tried to escape my fate. The results were disastrous. Now, I'm ready to be who I was all along. I am comfortable with who I am. My only wish is for Lily to feel the same way."

She held Ellie's gaze for a long time. She was reluctant, but Claire refused to back down. Finally, she gave in.

"Alright. I'll help you keep your past a secret. I'll inform everyone in the Jurassic Park World that, as far as Lily is concerned, Claire Dearing the human never existed. I can't promise the same for your own world, since nobody knows the truth about . . . well, _anything_."

Claire nodded.

"That's fine. I'm okay with limiting the range of my private life, so long as my family is accepted in this universe."

Ellie nodded.

"You'll always be welcome here. My world is full of special people. This is where you belong."

Owen smiled and pointed to a raptor that was emptying a garbage can.

"Hear that? We're weird, and we love it!"

The raptor cocked his head.

"Uh . . . I'm just the janitor."

Claire and Owen didn't hear his reply. They were busy sharing a kiss. Lily, not used to being ignored, rammed her head into Claire's leg.

"Ma! Daddy! Up!"

Claire smiled and let her daughter crawl up on her back. Behind her, a door opened, and a very frazzled dragon stumbled through.

"I'm back," Elkay wheezed.

Ellie blinked.

"Oh. I didn't see you leave."

Elkay frowned.

"Real nice. I've been kind of busy . . ."

She curved her tail around to reveal something that looked like a large, green, ovate stone. Ellie gasped and ran over to examine it.

"Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?"

Elkay nodded weakly.

"Mhm. I won't be able to walk normally for weeks. Why do the crossbreeds always come out so big? . . ."

Claire looked away awkwardly.

"Should . . . Should we go?"

Ellie smiled.

"Well, if you want, you can start working."

Claire's face lit up.

"Perfect! I can't wait!"

Owen scratched the back of his neck.

"Should I do something too?"

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Well, the last time I gave you a job, you almost caused the collapse of this universe . . ."

Owen hummed.

"Fair point. I guess I'll just look after Lily, then."

Claire smiled.

"I think she'd like that very much."

With a big smile, Lily hugged his leg.

"Lily love Daddy."

Owen grinned.

"And Daddy loves Lily."

Claire hugged them both.

"Claire loves Lily and Owen."

Owen touched Claire's cheek.

"Owen loves Claire. He loves her very much. Better yet, Claire loves Claire. That's what's really important."


	67. Masrani In The Land Of Fairies

One morning, Elkay brought Ellie down to what had once been an underground lab to show her one of her latest inventions. They moved through the eerily silent halls, ducking down to avoid loose wires and broken pipes.

"It's amazing that this place survived the bombing," Elkay marveled, "The transdimensional gateway machine was smooshed, unfortunately, but we don't really need it, so no harm done."

Ellie pushed a cluster of vines to the side.

"I wouldn't say that. It takes a lot of magic to open portals, so whenever Claire summons one, my power gets drained significantly."

Elkay grinned.

"Lucky for you, I found a new way to conserve your energy."

She opened a small, circular door and waved her claws.

"Behold, the ultimate search engine!"

Inside the restored room was a large machine that looked something like a supercomputer from the eighties. The countless buttons, knobs, and switches gave the whole thing a very cluttered look, yet it also seemed to be somewhat organized, since the hundreds of blinking lights flashed in a mesmerizing sequence. Above the bulk of the system was a large screen, which Ellie decided was some sort of monitor. Of course, she was terrible with technology, so she couldn't ascertain much more information from simply looking at the system. Something told her that Elkay would be trying to explain it to her in roughly three seconds.

"Ignore the gadgets and gizmos: they're mostly just for show," the dragon said breezily, "All you really need to understand is the keyboard. It's under those spinning disc things. All very technical stuff, of course."

Ellie trotted up to the keyboard and rubbed her chin.

"Okay, I have no idea what we're doing. Explain how this thing works."

Elkay grinned proudly.

"Almost every scrap of information in the universe is stored inside of this machine, because it runs on your magic. It's more efficient than searching up things directly, so your 'starpower' will be more or less conserved."

Ellie blinked.

"So, basically, you built me a giant Google."

Elkay frowned defensively.

"This thing is a million times better than Google. Ask me why."

"Why?" Ellie asked flatly.

"You can talk to it like a person, and it actually understands you."

"So, basically, you built me a giant Siri?"

Elkay flattened her ears.

"I think you're missing the point. Give me something to search."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Kangaroos."

Elkay snorted.

"Pick something more obscure."

"Echidnas."

Elkay frowned and started typing.

"I'll begin by asking it how many times you've said the word 'amazing' in your lifetime."

She pressed an orange button, and the monitor displayed a large number.

"See? It's one hundred percent accurate."

Ellie hummed.

"Great. I'll use it whenever I need to look up stats."

Elkay grabbed her by the collar as she turned to leave.

"Hang on, missy. We're not done yet."

She started typing in more commands.

"The machine can also handle complicated requests. I'm asking it to provide a list of the most frequently used comparisons the men of Isla Nublar use when talking about their junk. I'm making a special request to omit Alan, because lord knows I don't need to read about what my granddaughter is up to, and I'll also specify that I want our closest friends to show up first. Should we restrict it to similes, metaphors, or both?"

Ellie shrugged.

"I don't really care."

"I'll go with metaphors," Elkay said with a quick nod, "Press enter, and . . . voilà!"

A list of names lit up the screen. Elkay scrolled down them.

"Whose results would be the least damaging to hear?"

Ellie held up her hands.

"We don't have to-"

Elkay clicked on Owen's name. She looked up at the screen and raised her eyebrow.

"Microscope? What the hell? I'm guessing that was Claire's idea."

Ellie winced.

"Close it. Close it, please."

Elkay hummed.

"I mean, it's weird that it's the first result, right? It's higher than 'raptor' and 'motorcycle'."

Ellie pressed the clear button.

"Okay, I understand how it works. How does this help me?"

Elkay put her hands on her hips.

"You need all the energy you can get, since you made the mistake of limiting your own power."

"It wasn't a mistake," Ellie said quietly, "I don't want to have another incident."

Elkay folded her ears back sympathetically.

"Ellie, I know you're scared, but tell me this: how are you going to be a proper Queen if you put limits on your magic?"

Ellie looked away guiltily.

"I can't lift my rations yet. Not until I'm sure that nothing bad will happen. Can you try to understand?"

Elkay nodded, but Ellie was certain that she had her doubts about her choice.

***TSJWFEW***

Simon Masrani was grateful to be alive. Having died once in his lifetime, he could say without a doubt that he would not want to repeat the experience again. Of course, being alive had a few downsides. Actually, there was only one downside, namely the fact that he was a tiny, white tiger.

Being a feline of minuscule proportions was much nicer than being an ant or a helicopter, of course, but Simon couldn't help but feel that he was often forgotten by his friends. Maybe that's why they came very close to stepping on him almost every day. He wasn't bitter about it, per se, but it would be nice to get a little respect.

One day, Simon returned home, only to find that there was no home to return to. He had been living in a hollow coconut shell for the past year or so, and he had never encountered a single problem with his humble abode. Unfortunately, he had not heeded Elkay's advice to hang his house from a tree, and now it was lying on the ground in several crushed fragments. Simon bounded over to his broken home and felt his whiskers droop in despair.

"What on earth? . . ."

Upon further examination, he realized that he was standing in a massive (relatively speaking) footprint. When he came across the distinct indentation of a stiletto, he knew precisely who was to blame.

"Oh, that foolish woman. She's so busy stomping around and feeling important that she forgets that there are smaller people on this island."

With an irritated stride, Simon bumbled through the forest to speak with Ellie about the issue. Having never traveled this way before, he found that he was running into more obstacles than usual. The roots of larger trees were like logs to him, and he had to make massive leaps to clear them. The jungle was rather dark as well, which meant that it was easy to step on hidden thorns or burs.

Finally, Simon encountered the greatest obstacle of all. A small stream trickled through the dirt, gurgling quite peacefully. To a tiny tiger, it was like raging rapids. Still, he couldn't turn back now, or he'd be wasting a trip. Spotting a small chunk of bark on the ground, Simon ran over and dragged it over to the bank with his teeth. When it was near the water, he stood on top of it and pushed it from behind with his back feet. His makeshift boat slid into the water with ease.

Simon decided that trying to cross the stream had been a very bad idea, indeed. The raft was spinning out of control, and it was barely staying above the surface. Whirling around like a dreidel, Simon felt himself being soaked by ice-cold water. It was a nightmare. His fur jutting out in wet spikes, he dug his claws into the bark, trying desperately to hold on.

After a long journey, the rapids slowed to a gentle pace. Simon hopped off of his raft and dog-paddled to dry land, keeping his head above water. When he reached the riverbank, he lay gasping in the dirt, utterly exhausted.

It was only when he looked up that he lost his ability to breathe.

***TSJWFEW***

"Fairies! Thousands of them!" Simon exclaimed as he stood on a table in front of Ellie and the dragon, "They're living in an old oak tree. They have a magical society with glitter and dust and butterflies-"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Fairies. Right. There are real, living fairies on Isla Nublar."

Simon folded his ears back against his skull and crinkled his nose.

"You don't believe me?"

"Nope," she said simply.

"But you're a dragon!"

Elkay nodded.

"Yeah, and being a dragon, I know that fairies are native to Asterpara. Well, unless Ellie somehow created them during her little episode . . ."

Ellie shook her head.

"Nope. I kept track of everything I did. The most significant results were the Candy Forest and Pablo."

A purple raptor popped up behind them.

"Ellie."

He strutted away, his claws clicking against the linoleum floor. Ellie looked over her shoulder casually.

"Where's he going?"

Elkay shrugged.

"Dunno. Seems like certain people show up once, only to never be mentioned again."

"I don't really think that's-"

"Humphrey, Moku-Pa, Vicky, Jules, Sam, Dixie-"

"Okay, point taken."

"-Arby, Roland, Tuhuma, your new kid-"

"Tuhuma died and you saw Tyler yesterday."

Elkay hummed.

"Whatever. My point is, people come and go. Nothing unusual about that."

Meanwhile, on the table, Simon was growing impatient. He stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on his hips.

"Can we get back to discussing the fairies, please?"

Elkay snorted.

"Right, right. Let's waste our time talking about things that don't exist. Other topics include elves, orcs, and Tea Leoni's ability to act."

Simon growled.

"I'm being serious! I saw them when I sailed down the river!"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. On your little bark-boat. Did you bring a zebra, an orangutan, and a hyena with you?"

After a pause, she rolled onto her back and started cackling.

"That joke has so many levels . . ."

Simon frowned and turned away from the laughing dragon.

"Fine. I'm going to find the fairies and prove that they exist, with or without your assistance."

As he stormed away, Elkay lifted her head.

"Ellie, should we tell him that we own a machine that can prove or disprove his claim without much hassle?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Meh. The way I see it, if he's telling the truth, he'll probably end up residing with the fairies anyway."

"Why's that?"

"He lost his house, and the fairies are his size. Do the math."

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"Hey, Ellie, have you ever noticed that things always seem to resolve themselves in a clever or poetic way?"

"No, not really."

"Good. I'm sure no one else has, either."

***TSJWFEW***

When Simon returned to the old oak tree, he was horrified to see that Claire was once again in the process of destroying someone's home. She was rubbing her front horn against the tree trunk like a rhinoceros, while the fairies (unbeknownst to her) cowered in the hollows of the oak. Simon dashed forward and climbed up on her front foot.

"Claire!"

She didn't notice him.

"CLAIRE!"

She continued to tear apart the bark.

"CLAIRE DEARING, IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO ME, I WILL HAVE TO BITE YOUR TOE!"

Claire frowned in confusion and looked around. Simon growled impatiently.

"Down here. On your foot."

Claire looked down at him, batting her massive eyelashes innocently.

"Mr. Masrani! I didn't see you. What do you want?"

He frowned and crossed his fuzzy arms.

"This tree is the habitat of a colony of fairies."

After a moment, Claire laughed.

"Sorry, did you say fairies?"

Simon nodded seriously.

"You've seen angels and you've seen dragons. Why is it so hard to believe that fairies exist?"

Claire snorted.

"Well, just because someone discovers a flying fish, it doesn't mean you should assume that swimming birds exist."

"Flying fish don't really fly, and you're forgetting about ducks and geese."

"It's just an example," Claire replied breezily, "I'm saying that we shouldn't jump to conclusions, that's all."

"I'm not jumping to conclusions! I saw them!" he insisted.

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Masrani, there's no such thing as fairies."

One of the fairies that had been hiding behind a tree branch suddenly grabbed its chest and fell out into the open. It landed on Claire's snout, dead as a doornail. Claire crossed her eyes and hummed.

"Oh. I guess I was wrong."

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay and Ellie lifted their heads as Claire trotted through the patio door of the Visitors' Center. Before she could speak, Elkay raised her claw.

"Let me guess: Masrani was right about the fairies, and he's decided to live with them as their elected king."

Claire closed her beak.

"Yes. That's exactly right. How did you know?"

Elkay wrote something down on a piece of paper. She punctuated it with a lively motion and handed it to Ellie.

"Hang onto this for a second."

Claire leaned forward, waiting for a response.

"I knew what would happen because we've become horribly predictable. I can foresee just about every single event that will take place in the near future."

Suddenly, Zara glided down from the sky and collapsed, weeping, on the patio, knocking over several tables in the process. She squeaked and lifted her beak to the sky, wailing miserably.

"Michael chucked me!"

Ellie turned to Elkay with a sardonic look.

"I'll bet you didn't see _that_ coming."

"Read the note," Elkay said flatly.

Ellie raised her eyebrow and unfolded the paper. She squinted and read it out loud.

"Someone is going to show up unexpectedly with bad news, prompting Ellie to make a snarky comment about how I didn't see it coming."

She lowered the paper.

"Real nice."

Elkay didn't so much as blink.

"Turn it over."

Ellie flipped the page and read the other side.

"And then Ellie is going to say something in a sarcastic/disdainful tone of voice."

Ellie gave her a disapproving look. Elkay shrugged innocently.

"What can I say? I'm good at what I do."

They turned as Zara's sobbing grew louder. When they had stared at her blankly for a few seconds, they looked at each other at the exact same moment.

"Should we do something?" Ellie asked.

Elkay nodded quickly.

"Invite Vivian over. Zara will be needing a friend or two."

Ellie wrote something on the paper and placed it in the middle of the table.

"Are you sure you aren't just doing this because of all of the people who haven't been around recently?"

Elkay frowned.

"Shut up."

"Open the paper."

Elkay unfolded the note.

 _Elkay will say "Shut up.", and Ellie will make a sassy comment._

Ellie shrugged mockingly.

"What can I say? I'm good at what I do."

Elkay pouted grumpily as she strolled away.

"That last part doesn't count, you know!"

"There's another line."

She unfolded the bottom half of the paper.

 _Elkay will tell me that the last part doesn't count._

The dragon tapped her claws on the table.

"Smartass."


	68. Anonymous

Claire and Vivian ducked under an umbrella as Zara began to cry again. She had been bawling her eyes out almost constantly since Michael dumped her, even when she was asleep. Claire was surprised that she hadn't lost half of her body weight in tears by now. She was practically soaking the grass around her.

"I- I always knew he secretly hated me!" Zara gasped between sobs, "I'm- I'm big and ugly and- COVERED IN BLUBBER!"

Her beak parted in a miserable wail, and a fresh shower of salty water splashed Claire's face. Vivian shook herself off and held Zara's wing.

"Don't be upset, Zara. I'm sure he just wanted to get back to Milwaukee. Long-distance relationships are hard."

Zara sniffled.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better! He didn't love me from the start! Nobody could love someone as hideous as me!"

Claire bit her beak.

"Zara, that's not true. You still have your friends. We love you."

Zara screeched.

"IT'S NOT THE SAME!" she yowled, "No one will ever love me because I'm ugly and I can't have sex!"

Claire shrugged.

"Well, I dunno, Zara. I'm sure you could find a way."

Vivian gave her a funny look.

"Don't lie to her, Claire. Dinosaurs can't have sex with people."

Claire rumbled awkwardly.

"Um, you know I have a kid, right?"

Vivian's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god. I thought it was just magic or something. Ewww . . ."

Zara hiccupped.

"See? People don't want to have sex with dinosaurs, because it's gross!"

Claire frowned.

"Well, technically, you're not a dinosaur."

Zara screamed and buried her face in her wings. Vivian tried to pat her in a comforting way.

"Don't cry, Zara. You're not the only one who can't do the fun stuff. Honestly, I'm surprised Brad has stayed with me for so long . . ."

Zara wiped her nose.

"It's not about the sex, Vivian. I'm saying that nobody is attracted to me, physically or otherwise. I'm a monster!"

Claire shook her head.

"You're not a monster, Zara."

"I am!" she wailed, "Look at me! I'm the ugliest thing to ever walk the earth!"

"Technically, you don't walk," Claire mumbled, "It's more of a scooty-slidey kind of thing."

Zara frowned bitterly.

"You're not helping, Claire. Just leave me alone. Go have weird dinosaur sex or something."

Claire pulled her head back in offense. Before she could get really mad, she took a deep breath and shook out her plates.

"Zara, I know you're upset right now, and you don't mean what you're saying-"

"No, dinosaur sex is pretty weird," Vivian muttered breezily.

Claire shot her a look.

"-but you can't let this break you. Michael is just one man. There are plenty of fish in the sea . . . or reptiles, for that matter."

Zara whimpered.

"But Michael was the only one who understood me. How am I going to find someone as charming as he is?"

Claire gave a confident nod.

"Zara, there's someone out there for you."

"But I want _Michael_!" she croaked, "When he was around, my heart was aglow and my dental hygiene was above average!"

Claire exhaled sadly.

"I don't know what to tell you. Michael just wasn't the one. Your soulmate is out there somewhere. You just have to find him."

Zara swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Nobody wants me."

Claire shook her head.

"No, that isn't true. Statistically speaking-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR STUPID STATISTICS?!" Zara barked, "I'M UGLY, AND UGLY DOESN'T GET DATES! YOU'RE THE ONLY UGLY PERSON WHO'S EVER FOUND A MAN, AND IT'S ONLY BECAUSE OWEN IS TOO POLITE TO LEAVE YOU!"

Claire mooed angrily and turned away.

"You're just upset. You don't mean that. You're just upset. You don't mean that . . ."

Vivian stepped forward.

"Zara, would it help if we tried to bring Michael back?"

Claire stomped her foot.

"I have a better idea! I'm going to find her a new Michael. That is to say, I'm going to be a matchmaker for the day."

She thundered away nobly.

"Just wait and see, Zara!" she called over her shoulder, "I'm sure there's someone on this island for you!"

Zara watched her leave, then went back to crying. Vivian placed her front foot on her crest to comfort her, but she continued to breathe in hiccups.

"Oh, Vivian. What am I going to do? I've spent my whole life waiting for the perfect man, and now I won't even be able to date the people at the bottom of the barrel! I'm going to die alone, and it's all because of how I look."

Vivian tilted her head.

"You know, it doesn't have to be that way. Maybe someone will notice your radiant personality and forget the fact that you have a mouth full of jagged teeth."

Vivian knew that she wasn't too good with words, but something told her that Zara would have burst into tears regardless of what she said.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire marched through the jungle, taking care not to snag her stegoceratops-sized blazer on low-hanging branches. She had decided to take a shortcut on her way to the most populated quadrant of the island, which unfortunately meant that she had to find a way to fit her generous girth through narrow spaces. The forest was no place for large dinosaurs.

She was almost out of the woods when she came across a problem. There was a thick wall of foliage blocking her exit. Moving along the edge of the forest, she found two trees that were spaced reasonably far apart. By her calculations, the widest point of her body would fit through with a little wiggling.

Nodding in determination, Claire lifted her chin and stepped between the two trunks. She felt her sides being compressed slightly, slowing her down. With a heavy grunt, she plowed forward, only to feel her belly being squished rather uncomfortably. Obviously, she wasn't going to fit. Slightly embarrassed, she tried to back up. It was rather difficult. Growling in concentration, she dug her toes into the ground and pushed back.

After a few minutes of frantic wiggling, Claire realized that she was very much stuck.

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay yawned and turned her egg, hoping that the heat lamp would do most of the hard work for her. She didn't know why Ellie insisted upon treating the egg like a delicate object: dragon eggs could survive practically anything. Elkay was a little resentful towards her granddaughter, who knew nothing of Asterparan biology. She kept insisting that she was good at these things, just because she had six kids of her own. Speaking of which, the T-Rex was skipping into the hatchery. Elkay lifted one ear and frowned.

"Aren't you a little far from home, Tyler?"

He smiled sweetly.

"My mommy told me to visit you and make sure you're doing your job."

Elkay growled grumpily.

"You can tell your mother that I'm doing everything she told me, thank you very much, and she shouldn't stick her nose in other people's business. How's Zara, by the way?"

"Still upset."

Elkay exhaled sharply.

"What a drama queen. Somebody ought to knock some sense into her."

Tyler cocked his head.

"Do you want me to send her a message?"

Elkay snorted.

"Yeah, tell her that she needs to suck it up."

"Won't that be psychologically damaging?"

Elkay tightened her beak.

"Just do it, pipsqueak."

***TSJWFEW***

Vivian was on her way to find Zara when she suddenly burst from the lagoon and spun around in the sand like a performing seal. She flapped her wings merrily and gave a laugh that sounded drunk, crazy, or both. Vivian cocked her head in puzzlement.

"Are you feeling better, Zara?"

She gasped as Zara scooped her up and gave her a big hug.

"Oh, Vivian, I'm feeling wonderful! Someone loves me after all!"

Vivian blinked.

"Who?"

"I don't know!" Zara trilled cheerfully, "I was on my way back home when I found a bottle floating in the water. I assumed it was litter, but upon further examination, I noticed a message inside. Not knowing who it was for, I opened it, hoping to find a name. It was written for _me_ , Vivian! Me!"

Zara handed her a note, which had very crude letters scribbled across it. Vivian raised her eyebrow as she read it out loud.

"Dear Zara, don't believe what anyone says. You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Your smile shines with the radiance of a thousand suns. You are gorgeous!"

Vivian lifted her head.

"Well, well, well. Someone has a secret admirer."

Zara grinned, displaying several pointy teeth.

"Isn't it wonderful? I wish I knew who wrote it . . ."

Vivian smiled.

"Well, maybe he'll write you another one."

Zara made a high-pitched sound.

"Oh, Vivian! I'm so happy, I could die! . . . Again . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire froze when she heard footsteps coming down the road. She had been trying to un-wedge herself for over an hour. She wasn't exactly willing to accept help, so she would have to find a way to get rid of whoever was coming. She was embarrassed enough already, and she didn't need anyone knowing about her unfortunate incident. To her horror, she discovered that the man walking down the road was Owen. Quickly, she placed her foot under her chin and crossed her back feet casually. Owen slowed to a stop when he noticed her, frowning in confusion.

"Claire? . . ."

"Oh, hi, Owen!" Claire said brightly, "I didn't see you coming. Where's Lily?"

"Ellie's babysitting her," he said distractedly, "Um, Claire, what are you doing?"

Claire gulped.

"Oh, I just decided to rest here for a moment. That's all. I'm just resting. Between two trees."

Owen took a good look at her body, then nodded.

"Okay. Mind if I join you?"

Claire winced.

"Actually, I-"

"I'm kind of tired. I might have to rest, myself."

Owen moved to her hindquarters and leaned against her in a way that was not unlike a push. Claire grunted as he put pressure on her, failing to move an inch.

"Hm. That's interesting," Owen muttered.

"What?" Claire asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing. Hey, it's a little hot out here. It might be better if we remove your clothes."

Claire nodded.

"Alright. You can try."

Owen pulled off her blazer with great difficulty. Claire felt her bare scales come into contact with the bark. Unfortunately, she was still stuck.

"I'm going to rest again," Owen muttered as he went back to "not pushing" her.

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay lifted her head in alarm as a shrill scream pierced the air. Thinking something was wrong, she sprung to her feet and peered out the window. Zara flopped jovially across the meadow, holding a small paper in her foot-talons.

"He loves me! He loves me! He loves me!"

She rolled onto her back and started making happy reptile noises.

"BRAAAK! BRAAAK! BRAAAK!"

Elkay rolled her eyes and turned back to her egg. After a moment, she reached for a walkie-talkie. Pressing the button on the side, she pricked her ears in anticipation.

"Ellie?"

'Yeah?'

"Zara says someone loves her. I thought she'd be utterly broken by now, and yet she's spinning like a clever simile. Who's the mystery man?"

'Zara's admirer? You'll have to wait and see. Unless you've already guessed . . .'

"Is it Vivian?"

'No. Why would it be Vivian?'

"I thought she might be trying to make Zara feel better. Then she'd be discovered and learn a lesson about-"

'It's not Vivian.'

"Who is it, then?"

'Not telling.'

"Please?"

'Watch your egg.'

Elkay frowned and placed the walkie-talkie on a nearby table.

"Stupid, bossy Ellie. What do I need her for, anyway?"

'I heard that.'

Elkay frowned and turned off the radio.

***TSJWFEW***

Vivian sighed with exhaustion as Zara squealed happily and held the love-note against her chest. She was happy that Zara was feeling better, but she was still rather . . . annoying.

"Oh, Vivian, isn't it romantic? 'You have the voice of a siren and the elegant form of a dolphin. You are the epitome of beauty.'. He likes my voice! And he likes my body, too!"

Vivian snorted.

"Maybe he's a weirdo."

She gulped as Zara's lip began to quiver.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," Vivian elaborated, "It's just, what do we really know about this guy? He could be a creep or a pervert or a flasher-"

"But he _loves_ me!" Zara insisted, "He loves me for who I am!"

"How do you know? You've never even met him!"

Zara gasped excitedly.

"What if I _have_? What if he's been under my nose-beak the whole time?"

Vivian shook her head.

"Zara, this is what love is to kindergarteners. You can't believe everything someone writes on a scrap of paper, especially if their handwriting is that atrocious."

Zara whimpered.

"But it's all I have."

"Well, that's a bad sign right there. If all you know about him is-"

"It's all I have. This is proof that someone out there is capable of loving me."

Vivian lowered her head guiltily.

"Zara, don't get your hopes up. If this turns out to be a prank-"

She broke off when she saw that Zara's eyes were brimming with tears.

"I have to believe, Vivian. Without hope, I have no reason to . . . I mean . . ."

Vivian forced a smile.

"You know what? It's probably real. Nobody would put that much effort into a practical joke."

Zara beamed.

"Gosh, I wish I could meet him. Do you think we'd be able to find him?"

Vivian nodded.

"Sure. Wait here. I'll go ask around and see if anyone knows something about your secret admirer."

Vivian trotted away with a solemn expression. She didn't believe that the note was legitimate, but she was going to find out who was responsible, nonetheless.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire lowed uncomfortably as she tried once again to get herself out from between the two trees. She stretched as far as she could, sucking in her gut, but it was no use. As much as she hated to let her situation get her down, she felt like crying. She bit her beak and held back her tears of frustration when she saw Owen returning with a large bottle.

"I've been meaning to give you this for a while," Owen called out as he jogged up to her, "It's hand cream. Very nice stuff. The dragons say it will make your scales feel softer."

He squirted the gel into his hands and started rubbing it along Claire's sides. Coincidentally, he happened to be slathering the cream where the trees met her body. When she was sufficiently moist, Owen wiped his hands on his pants and grabbed her horns.

"I'm just going to do some exercises for my back. Sound good?"

Claire nodded. Owen leaned backwards and pulled on her horns with all of his might. His heels made lines in the dirt as he tried to yank her forward. Finally, he collapsed, panting heavily.

"Okay, I guess that exercise was mostly pointless."

Claire mooed uncomfortably.

"Owen, if you want, you can go . . ."

Owen snapped his fingers.

"You know what? I just remembered something. The dragons said that butter would also help with your scales. Do you want me to go get some?"

Claire nodded.

"Alright. I'll be back in a minute."

***TSJWFEW***

Vivian asked a large number of people if they knew who Zara's secret admirer was, but received no straight answer. The closest she came to discovering the truth was when Elkay told her that Ellie knew, but it was unlikely that she'd tell anyone. Vivian decided to try asking her anyway. When she crossed the bridge that led over the lagoon, however, she stumbled upon the truth by accident. There, perched over the water, dropping a bottle into the lake, was-

"VIC HOSKINS?!"

***TSJWFEW***

Vic sat nervously in front of Vivian and Elkay with a towel draped over his shoulders. He had fallen into the water when Vivian startled him, but that was the least of his worries. He had been caught sending a note to Zara, which meant that things were about to get messy for the both of them.

"Why on Earth would you send Zara love letters?" Vivian barked, "Don't you know that she's in a state of mental anguish?"

Vic laced his toes together nervously. His legs weren't long enough to reach the ground, so he was in a very uncomfortable position.

"I didn't mean any harm . . ."

Vivian slammed her front foot on the table.

"What were you _thinking_?!"

Vic sniffed and looked away.

"Oh, I don't know. She seemed so upset, and I overheard you two talking about how she thinks no one likes her . . . I guess I just wanted to show her that she had nothing to worry about."

Vivian growled.

"So, you lied to her? Why would you _do_ that?"

Vic whimpered.

"Well, I wasn't _lying_ , exactly . . ."

Vivian's jaw dropped.

"So, you actually have a crush on Zara?"

Vic winced.

"Don't tell her."

Vivian lifted her head.

"Why not? She's dying to know who's sending her all of those notes."

Vic looked down in shame.

"It's better to let her imagine that they came from someone charming and handsome. Otherwise, she'll think that I'm the best she can do."

Vivian narrowed her eyes.

"Well, if you like her, and she likes the things you say in your notes, what's the problem?"

"Age difference," Elkay said, taking a break from turning her egg, "They're twenty-nine years apart, which is super creepy."

Vic nodded.

"That's the biggest reason."

Vivian sighed.

"That's too bad. Now you're gonna have to come clean, and Zara will be crushed."

Vic bit his lip.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I just wanted to help, and I certainly never intended to make things worse. Believe me, if I were twenty years younger, I'd do my best to be everything she wants in a man, but . . ."

Elkay pricked her ears.

"You know, that's not such a bad idea. Why don't you trim a few years?"

Vic cocked his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you could find a way to change your age," Elkay suggested, "There are dozens of magical beings capable of casting spells that alter the effects of time. Why not find a genie or something?"

Vivian brayed in alarm.

"Never trust a genie, Vic. I encountered a genie during my adventures with Lowery. He's the reason I'm stuck like this."

"The genie or Lowery?" Elkay asked.

"Well, both," Vivian muttered, "The genie tricked Lowery- Well, actually, Lowery was just being stupid, and-"

Elkay waved her paw.

"Aw, Vivian, genies are harmless. If you're careful, their little ruses won't hurt you."

Vic began wagging his tail.

"Oh my gosh. Is this really happening? Can this actually work?"

Elkay smiled.

"Do you love Zara?"

"With all of my heart!"

"Then it'll work for sure."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen gnashed his teeth in frustration as he pushed on Claire's rump. Her dinosaur-fat bunched up around the tree, yet she wasn't moving an inch. Owen stopped to catch his breath. Sweat was trickling down his temples, making lines in the dirt that had caked his face during his previous endeavors to "not get Claire unstuck".

"You know, I don't think the butter or cooking oil is helping with my . . . scales," Claire mumbled.

"You're right," Owen panted, still out of breath, "Maybe we should find some dish soap to wash it off."

Claire nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

***TSJWFEW***

After a long flight from Jurassic Park to Jurassic World, Elkay dropped Vic off at the base of a twisted mountain. She had risked flying him there, but when Ellie had discovered that she wasn't looking after her egg, she had to trust that Vic would find his way up the mountain on his own. At least, that's what she had said.

Although he was a little out of shape, Vic was driven by the hope that he could finally be honest with Zara. Maybe, just maybe, they would end up together. With these happy thoughts in mind, Vic practically skipped up the trail, keeping an eye out for the magic genie rock that Vivian had described. He scaled cliffs, crossed rickety bridges, and even outran a pack of demon wolves at one point.

Nothing was about to get in his way.

***TSJWFEW***

"Elkay, you're being very irresponsible," Ellie scolded as she entered the hatchery, carrying Lily in her arms, "I can understand taking a break from watching the egg, but flying Vic to the base of a mountain to tease him? That's just plain evil!"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Look, Ellie, I know it's hard for you to understand, but I don't like Vic all that much, and besides, he's perfectly happy carrying out an epic quest for his hopeless love."

Ellie frowned.

"Why wouldn't you tell him that you could have made him younger on your own?"

Elkay sneered.

"Same reason you don't tell Claire that you can change her back. It just makes you liable."

Ellie shushed her.

"Not so loud. Listen, what I'm keeping from Claire is completely different. I owe her a lot of things after what happened with Zebil, and in order to keep giving her those things, she can't know what I'm capable of doing. If I had told her that she could have been human again, she would have never had Lily. I'm pretty sure she might not have stayed with Owen, either. She needs this. Although she doesn't know it, this is all happening for a reason. What _you're_ doing is completely immoral. You're just messing with Vic because you don't like him."

Elkay frowned.

"Is that really what you think?"

Ellie nodded.

"You said so yourself. You don't have anything planned."

"You sure?" Elkay asked sneakily.

"If you're up to something, you should tell me now," Ellie muttered impatiently.

Elkay snuffed.

"I might have a plan, but if I do, I'm not sharing it with you. I'll tell you this much: my solution is far better than anything _you_ could have come up with. If I even _have_ one. Which I do. Or _do_ I? . . ."

Ellie sighed loudly and turned away.

"I'm done arguing with you. Do what you want."

Elkay ran after her.

"Ellie, before you go, I need a manuscript."

"Of?"

"The story. Duh."

Ellie waved her hand dismissively.

"Take it. I don't care."

Elkay flattened her ears defensively.

"Ellie, I've been a Queen longer than you."

"You're not a Queen anymore."

"I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't."

"Wanna bet?"

"No."

Elkay tapped her claws in agitation as Ellie marched out the door.

"Fine. Go ahead and doubt me, you doubter. We'll see who's right in the end."

***TSJWFEW***

By the time Vic reached the magical genie stone, he was battered and bruised all over his body. He practically dragged himself over to the glowing, purple rock. Gasping with exhaustion, he placed his paw on the crystalline structure. A thick, magical smoke began to pour from the cracks and crevices. His eyes sparkling with a newfound energy, Vic leapt to his feet and threw his hands in the air.

"I made it! I made it! Zara, get ready to meet the new Vic!"

From the smoke, an imposing figure arose. He leaned forward and spoke in a booming voice.

"You, the rainbow dinosaur, may have one wish, but nothing more."

Vic cocked his head.

"Isn't it usually three wishes? Oh, never mind. I only need one."

"Choose carefully, my scaly friend. On this one wish you must depend. Think carefully before you choose, and don't ignore what you could lose."

Vic opened his mouth to make his wish, but something stopped him. What was he doing, asking a genie to make him younger? All he really wanted was for Zara to be happy. In his experience, people generally didn't like being around him. Was this really the best way to please her?

Vic suddenly felt very stupid. He had climbed a giant mountain in the hopes of winning Zara's affection, when really, he'd only be making her miserable by being in love with her. Although she appeared to be thrilled whenever she received his notes, Vic couldn't deny that she deserved much, much better.

God, he was selfish. He had only been doing this for himself. Well, no matter. He'd just have to devote his wish to Zara. Although it would pain him to not be with her, it would be worth it if he could make her happy.

"I want to make a wish for someone else," Vic announced to the genie.

"Very well, that's fine by me. Remember to choose carefully."

Vic paced back and forth.

"What does Zara want? A boyfriend? No, I probably shouldn't wish for something that ambiguous. Maybe she wants money! No, she's not greedy in the slightest."

Vic rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Gosh, this is really hard. I wish I knew what she wanted."

The genie puffed out his chest.

"What Zara Young wants most of all . . . is to be thin and not so tall. Her reptile form, she must escape. She wishes for a human shape."

Vic wagged his tail.

"She wants to be human again? Well, that's easy. I wish for that!"

The genie shook his head.

"You cannot wish to change her back. The wishing credit, you now lack."

Vic's eyes went wide.

"What?!"

"You asked to know what she desired, and when you did, your wish expired."

Vic thought back to what he had said.

"Oh. My. God. I am an _idiot_."

The genie shrugged.

"I'm sorry it must end this way. Next time, be careful what you say."

The genie evaporated into thin air, and the magic rock stopped glowing. For a moment, Vic stood as still as a statue. Then, he turned away, his head held low.

"I guess that settles it, then," he whispered dismally, "I really can't do anything right."

***TSJWFEW***

The sun had set, and Claire was still stuck. She had begun her journey with a spring in her step, and now, she was wedged in a tight place like a Twinkie at the back of a fridge. Against her will, a single tear trickled down her cheek. She was beginning to think that Owen had forgotten her, but he came jogging down the road with a saw.

"Hi, Claire. I have some bad news. I was checking the land permits, and the tree to your right is supposed to be cut down. I know you're busy resting, but I'm going to have to remove it. Are you okay with me working around you?"

Claire nodded rapidly. Taking care not to harm her, Owen began sawing the trunk gently. When he was halfway through the wood, the pressure of Claire's belly began to push it over, causing it to come crashing down. She stepped away from the forest and shook herself off, breathing deeply. Owen dropped his saw and ran over to her.

"Are you hurt? . . . From the falling tree, I mean."

Claire shook her head.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little stiff."

Owen smiled and hugged her snout.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Claire gave him a hug. After a moment, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Owen, I was-"

He put his finger over her beak.

"It's okay. You don't have to say it."

Claire smiled and gave him a kiss. They were about to go into a full out snogfest, but they noticed Vic lumbering down the road sadly.

"Hey, Vic. What's eatin' ya?" Owen asked.

His tail dragging behind him sadly, Vic lifted his head, but only a little.

"I had the chance to do something nice for someone today, but I screwed up big time, and now _nobody's_ happy."

Claire hummed.

"I'm sorry, Vic. I hope things get better."

He shook his head.

"I really don't think they will, Claire. I really don't think they will."

***TSJWFEW***

After a long and pointless walk, Vic found himself in the middle of a park area. There were lampposts by the side of the road, but unlike most modern lights, they were painted with colorful dinosaur shapes, giving the metal a more friendly appearance. Vic sat on a wooden bench beneath the glow of one such lamp. The more he thought about what he had done, the worse he felt about the whole thing. He couldn't stop himself from imagining how Zara would have reacted if he had succeeded in changing her back. She'd be at least ten times happier than whenever she'd opened his notes. Vic loved it when she was happy. Something about her unhindered grin and energetic movements made him feel like whatever he had done had been worthwhile. She was the kind of person who was meant to be happy, but now that he had ruined everything, she'd be anything but.

Maybe there was a part of him that secretly wished they could have been together, but it was drowned out by his need to end her misery. Had he tried to tell her how he felt, it would have ended badly, and nothing proved that more than the events of this day. Vic was a screw-up. He had been screwing up even before he cared about friendship, and now he was realizing just how much of a menace he had been to the people around him. He had purposefully hurt his peers, both directly and indirectly. When he had been given a second chance, he had hoped that he could change his ways, but even when he tried to be nice, things always seemed to go wrong. The simple fact was that people tended to not like him. Part of it had to do with his past, which he could never escape, but the rest was either bad luck or karma. In any case, Vic knew that he deserved a lot of pain, and the torment of not being able to help the people he cared about was the worst kind of pain imaginable.

As he sat sadly on the bench, something glided over his head, landing gently on the path in front of him. Elkay folded her wings and smiled.

"I have good news. I checked a dragon law thing, and it turns out that I'm allowed to trim twenty-five years off of your age."

Vic wrung his tail guiltily.

"Thanks for the offer, but it won't change anything. I'm not sure I deserve it, anyway."

Elkay lowered her head to speak with him face-to-face.

"You climbed a mountain for someone you love. That's worth something."

Vic shook his head.

"It's really not. In the grand scheme, it means nothing."

"Well, I know at least one person who'd appreciate it."

She waved her tail, and Vic felt magic spiraling around him. It coursed through his veins and crept under his skin. As it departed, so did the grayness in his beard. Vic craned his neck to look at himself, feeling a lot different.

"There," Elkay said brightly, "You're younger. How does it feel?"

Vic lowered his head.

"My body feels great, but other than that, I'm as melancholic as I was before."

Elkay raised her eyebrows.

"Well, don't you worry about a thing. I'm sure you'll feel better soon enough."

With a mighty beat of her wings, she took off, disappearing into the sky. Vic watched her leave, then stared down at the ground once more. He knew that he should be thrilled to be young again, but really, he saw no point to it. He'd only end up staying around longer, and by doing so, he'd make everyone miserable. Vic was so busy feeling sorry for himself that he didn't hear someone rather large approaching him. It was only when she spoke that he became aware of her presence.

"Hi."

Vic nearly jumped out of his skin. He fell forward and flailed his arms around in surprise. Composing himself, he spun around and cleared his throat.

"Um, hello, Zara. What brings you here?"

She shrugged, letting her long snout swing to the side casually.

"Nothing much. Just wandering around, I guess."

Vic nodded.

"Have you- have you been busy lately?"

Zara smiled gently.

"Well, I was reading earlier today . . ."

Vic put his hands behind his back.

"Oh. Was it a good book?"

"No, but I think I might be fond of a certain character."

Zara lay flat on her belly, placing her wings underneath her chin and folding her tail over her back.

"What have you been up to, Vic?"

He gulped nervously.

"I . . . I went rock climbing."

"Really."

"Yeah."

Zara leaned forward.

"You know, we go to the same support group."

Vic rocked back and forth on his feet.

"The one for people who've been attacked by dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles? Yeah, I think I saw you there once or twice . . ."

Zara cocked her head.

"I don't usually speak. I know I should talk about what happened, but it's still fresh in my mind, and I don't like to think about it."

Vic laced his fingers together.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

Vic nodded idly.

"If it helps, you should talk about it."

"I know. I really ought to tell someone what happened. That all depends on whether or not I can find someone who's willing to listen."

Vic stopped himself from replying. Noticing his discomfort, Zara rolled over casually.

"Vic, is there something you want to tell me?"

He shook his head.

"No, I don't think so."

"Is there something you _should_ tell me?"

Vic bit his lip.

"Maybe."

Zara gave a half-smile.

"You know, if there's something you should be telling me, now's the time to do it."

Vic backed away.

"I don't know if I can. You'll laugh."

"I won't laugh."

"You might."

"You won't know unless you try."

"But you'll just think I'm stupid."

Zara batted her eyelashes.

"Maybe I won't. Maybe I'd like to hear what you have to say."

Vic turned away.

"I don't think-"

He froze as she caught his hand with her wing-claws. She quickly pulled it back.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget that I have sharp fingers."

Vic shook his head slowly.

"No, it's not that. It's just, I've never had someone stop me from leaving before. Not like that, anyway. It's almost like you want me to stay."

Zara scooted forward.

"I do."

Vic's jaw dropped.

"I was just kidding . . . Do you really want me here?"

Zara shrugged.

"Well, I don't need you to be _here_ , exactly, but if you want to stay by my side for a little while, that would be ideal."

Vic blinked in surprise.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say you like me."

Vic started shaking.

"I- I mean- Do you _want_ that?"

Zara laughed.

"Why wouldn't I want you to like me?"

Vic sputtered.

"Well, I mean, I'm not exactly the kind of person that you'd like to have around. I'm not popular. If I were to say that I like you, it wouldn't mean much."

"It would mean enough."

Vic's nose twitched.

"I don't think I understand."

Zara reached behind her crest and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"I guess we both need it in writing, don't we?"

She handed Vic the note. He gave her a funny look, then opened it. When he looked up again, Zara smiled down at him shyly.

"I flew to a mountain today. You had left by the time I got there."

Vic was petrified. He stood stiffly, still holding the note.

"I went to the genie rock," Zara continued, "He said I could have one wish."

Vic sighed.

"I guess he tricked you too, huh?"

Zara shook her head.

"No. I got my wish."

Vic frowned in confusion.

"But the thing you wanted most- I mean- you're still-"

Zara held up her wing.

"I only wanted to be human because I thought that it was the only way someone would ever like me."

"I don't think anyone in their right mind could stop themselves from liking you."

Zara smiled.

"That's sweet of you to say."

Vic couldn't help but smile back. After a moment, however, his smile dissolved into a curious frown.

"What exactly did you wish for, if you don't mind me asking . . ."

Zara grinned.

"I asked what you wanted most in the world."

Vic's eyes went wide.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

Vic looked over his shoulder.

"What did the genie say?"

Zara rolled onto her back, smiling giddily.

"That's the funny part. The genie said that your greatest wish, the thing you wanted most in the world, was for me to be happy. Isn't that interesting?"

Vic gulped.

"Um, it's a little interesting . . ."

Zara grinned.

"As you know, being human was at the top of my list of things that would make me happy. Of course, I don't need that anymore. Do you want to know what was second on my list?"

Vic shuffled his feet.

"Well, if you don't mind telling- MPH!"

He was cut off when Zara leaned forward and pressed her beak against his face. Vic was so shocked that for a few seconds, he was unable to process that the kiss was actually happening. By the time Zara pulled away, he thought he might faint. She clicked her beak a couple of times and smiled.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Vic tried to reply, but what came out of his mouth was random gibberish. Zara seemed to understand just fine. As she scooted away, Vic fell forward, landing on his belly. His tail wagged behind him furiously, and he gave a dopey smile. A few yards away, Claire and Vivian watched the scene with their mouths agape.

"Oh. My. God," Vivian said in disbelief.

"Well, at least we found a relationship weirder than mine," Claire sighed.

Vivian groaned and put her front feet over her eyes.

"I'm surrounded by weirdos!"

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay flicked her ears to the side sassily as Ellie entered the hatchery. She sighed and spread her wings in defeat.

"Fine. I underestimated you. You happy?"

Elkay grinned cheekily.

"Very happy. You see, Ellie, relationships are a lot like magnetic stones. If you use the needle of your compass to guide you, you'll go off course and end up gravitating towards the most attractive rocks. If you follow the thumping of a metal detector, you'll go for the first pebble you come across. It's best to wander around until you stumble upon a boulder by chance. They tend to stick around your favorite paths."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Alright, you don't have to rub it in."

"I know. But I'm going to do it anyway."


	69. Monkey Business

Karen sighed in exasperation as she dragged three duffel bags down the staircase. In the family room to her right, Lowery and Gray were engaged in an intense game of Mario Kart. They leaned left and right with scrunched-up faces, determined to emerge victorious.

"I'm totally gonna kick your butt," Gray taunted.

"Nobody messes with Waluigi," Lowery retorted.

"Statistically speaking, Wario has the best chance of-"

Gray was interrupted when a red shell hit his character. He frowned bitterly.

"Was that you?"

"If it was, I wouldn't say."

Karen rubbed her forehead.

"Any chance you two could help me with this?"

Gray groaned.

"We can't, Mom! Lowery beat me on the last track, and we have to make it even."

"Can't you pause the game?"

"No, Mom. Be cool!"

"Yeah, Karen. Be cool!" Lowery echoed in an equally whiney voice.

Karen rolled her eyes emphatically. As she did, Zach pushed past her, wearing his headphones (as usual). Karen put her hands on her hips.

"Zach . . . ZACH!"

He looked at her in surprise.

"You calling me?"

"Yes, I am!"

Zach smiled.

"No need to shout, Mom. I'll help you . . . unlike Dorkus and Dorkus junior."

"I resent that!" Lowery shouted without taking his eyes off of the screen.

"Whatever," Zach muttered, "Just give me a bag, Mom, and I'll put it in the trunk."

Karen narrowed her eyes.

"You seem uncharacteristically helpful today. What's up?"

"Nothing."

Karen crossed her arms. Zach bit his lip.

"Well, nothing _except_ . . ."

Karen sighed.

"This is about the trip, isn't it? Like it or not, you're coming with us."

Zach gulped.

"Look, I'm fine with visiting Aunt Claire, but I'd rather do it at her cabin. The last time I went to an island full of dinosaurs, I didn't have the greatest experience."

Karen looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry about that. Really, I am. But this is going to be different. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"In other words, you'll _see_ whatever is about to eat me."

Karen put her hand on his shoulder.

"Zach, things are going to be okay."

"How do you know?"

"Because Jurassic Park is a lot safer than Jurassic World."

Over on the couch, Lowery snickered.

***TSJWFEW***

A few hours later, the whole family (plus Lowery) was on a boat to Isla Nublar. Gray darted back and forth across the deck, trying to get a good look at all of the dinosaurs. He stood in front of a baryonyx that was reading a newspaper and grinned cheerfully.

"Hi."

The dinosaur looked down at him.

"Hey."

"Did you know that baryonyx have an opposable hallux toe?"

The dinosaur stared at him in confusion.

"Look, kid, I only changed this morning. I don't even know what I am."

"Baryonyx."

"Yeah, got it."

Karen dashed over and pulled Gray away from the dinosaur.

"I'm sorry, sir. He's just a little excited. He's never been to this world before."

The baryonyx snorted and lifted his newspaper again. Karen dragged Gray back to the front of the boat.

"Stay close, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you."

Lowery grinned.

"Lighten up, Karen. The dinosaurs are perfectly safe here. They're just people, after all."

Karen rubbed her forehead.

"Lowery, the things you say . . ."

"No, seriously! They're just like Claire, only they're carnivores. Well, except for Vic."

"The one who bakes cookies?"

"Mhm. You can't get a lot friendlier than that."

Karen sighed.

"Still, it's all so overwhelming. I mean, first there were dinosaurs, now there are dragons . . . What's next? Fairies?"

"Actually, they discovered a colony of fairies not too long ago," Lowery said, "Mr. Masrani is in charge of them."

"And he's-"

"A tiny white tiger. He was changed by the magical hair of a blue Sumatran tiger who was also related to the Chieftain of the Raptors."

Karen frowned.

"Wait. If the hair was blue, why is Masrani white?"

Lowery scoffed.

"Oh my god, Karen! You can't just ask people why they're white!"

Gray pushed between them.

"Hey, Lowery! I named a Pokémon after you."

Lowery beamed.

"That's really nice of-"

He looked at the screen and gave a sardonic frown.

"Bidoof? Seriously?"

"He kind of looks like you," Karen laughed.

With a sassy grin, Gray hopped away and started talking to the dilophosaur that was driving the boat. Karen looked over her shoulder with worry. Lowery nudged her gently and smiled.

"Relax. He's perfectly safe. This world is completely different from ours."

"I know," Karen said quietly, "That's what worries me."

***TSJWFEW***

Henry sighed as he waited outside of June's room. He tapped his fingers anxiously on the wall and frowned.

"Is there a reason you don't want to come out?"

"Yes."

Henry waited. Soon, it became clear that June wasn't going to elaborate.

"Can you tell me _why_ you won't come out?"

"Claire's here."

Henry twisted his mouth.

"I thought you _liked_ Claire."

"I do, but she has a daughter now."

"So?"

"I don't want her to think that I'm going to . . . I mean . . ."

Henry gulped.

"Oh. Okay. Listen, June, I know you're a little sensitive about all of this, but you have to realize that Claire has forgiven you. I'm sure she doesn't suspect-"

"I don't want to risk it. I'd much rather stay in here, anyway. People look at me funny whenever I go outside."

"They just need to get used to you. You can't hide forever."

"I can try."

Henry sighed.

"Would it help if I invited a friend over?"

"I don't have any friends."

"You could make some."

"No, I couldn't."

"What if you went to school?"

"That's a terrible idea."

Henry grumbled impatiently.

"June, to you, _everything_ is a bad idea."

"No, just the ideas that involve me going outside."

Henry pressed his head against the wall.

"What can I say to get you to come out?"

"Nothing. You can't make me."

Henry turned around.

"Alright, I'm gonna go check on your brother."

"You can't make me come out, you know."

Henry sighed.

"I know."

***TSJWFEW***

When Zach and Gray climbed down from the boat, Claire was waiting for them. She ran over hastily, shaking the pier with each step, and gave them a big hug, nearly crushing them in the process.

"Zach! Gray! How have you been?"

"Mphmphmph!" Gray mumbled, his face buried in a large chunk of Claire.

"I've missed you so much!" she continued, "It's been so busy here . . . Oh, right! There's someone I want you to meet!"

Claire dropped the boys and trotted down the pier to where Owen was standing. She took a small, beige dinosaur from his arms and placed her on the ground in front of her nephews.

"Zach, Gray; meet Lily. She's your cousin."

Zach and Gray looked down at the baby dinosaur, who hadn't yet seen them. Claire kneeled down and turned her towards their feet.

"Lily, say hi to Zach and Gray."

She looked up at them vacantly, shoving her fist in her mouth. Deciding that they were of no interest to her, she started to walk away.

"Oh, no you don't!" Claire scolded, picking her up, "Be polite, Lily. Zach and Gray came a very long way to see you."

Lily blinked and stared at her cousins.

"Zabbagay?"

Claire hummed.

"She has trouble with new words," she explained, "I'm sure she'll learn your names soon enough."

Meanwhile, Karen and Lowery were busy dragging their luggage down to the pier. Owen jogged over to take it away. When Karen was no longer in the shadow of a tightly-stuffed bag, she was finally able to see her niece. She stared down at the strange dinosaur-human and blinked.

"She's . . . interesting."

Claire sat down and picked up Lily.

"I know it's hard to get used to, but if you knew her like I do, you wouldn't want her any other way."

Karen's eye twitched as Lily yawned, opening her weird brownish-gray beak-lips.

"I . . . I guess she's kind of cute . . . in a dinosaur way . . ."

Claire seemed very unimpressed by Karen's lack of enthusiasm, but before she could say anything, Ellie tumbled down from the sky. Claire handed Lily to Owen (who balanced his child on a pile of bags) and stood at attention.

"We have a problem," Ellie announced, "Remember how we asked the citizens of Isla Nublar to vote for a slogan?"

Claire nodded.

"Did someone make a joke motto?"

Ellie frowned sardonically.

"Well, the top result is: Jurassic Park 3 is worse than cancer."

"And the second result?"

"Cancer is worse than Jurassic Park 3."

Claire winced.

"Third result?"

"Cancer."

Claire sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't deal with this right now. I promised Karen I'd spend the day with her."

Ellie frowned.

"Alright, but you'd better get this done as soon as possible. There are more and more prank slogans popping up- Oh, Jesus Christ."

Claire tried to peek at the holographic tablet that Ellie was checking.

"What is it?"

"I can't say this one out loud. Or this one. Why are they all about Jurassic Park 3? . . ."

Claire watched as Ellie stormed away grumpily.

"Jurassic Park 3 is one big pile of shit . . . Jurassic Park 3 is the most disappointing thing since my son . . . Jurassic Park 3 is the most significant disaster of 2001- Oh, real classy, guys! Why did I even let them suggest slogans? . . ."

Karen gave Claire a worried look.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

Claire smiled.

"Yeah. We deal with this kind of thing every day. You'd be surprised how many negative things Jurassic Park 3 is compared to."

Karen bit her lip.

"Claire, I don't want to keep you from your job. If you have something more important to do-"

Claire put her foot over Karen's face.

"Karen, please. Nothing is more important than spending time with my family."

Karen's jaw dropped.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Claire Dearing?"

Claire laughed.

"Very funny. That's all in the past, you know. The purpose of having a job is not to let it govern your life. I used to believe that Asset Management was the only thing I was good at, but I think this is much more rewarding."

Karen blinked.

"Okay . . . So, does that mean you're _happy_ to be a dinosaur?"

Claire shrugged.

"I'm happy to be a mother, and I'm happy with my life. I wouldn't change a thing, even if I could."

"Not even Lily?"

Claire froze.

"What?"

"Would you change Lily? I mean, she's kind of a hybrid, so-"

Claire frowned.

"There's nothing wrong with Lily."

Karen backed up.

"I never said there was . . ."

"You implied it."

Karen held up her hands.

"Look, forget I said anything. She's perfectly acceptable."

Claire stomped her foot.

"Acceptable?!"

Seeing that things were turning sour, Lowery shepherded the kids towards Owen, then jogged over to break up the fight.

"Hey, guys. Is there a problem?"

Claire snorted.

"Karen thinks that there's something wrong with Lily."

Karen clenched her fists.

"I never said that! You're jumping to conclusions."

"I am _NOT_!" Claire barked, whipping her tail aggressively, "You think she's weird because she's a hybrid!"

"She _is_ weird!" Karen growled, "I know you love her, but you can't deny that she's a little creepy."

Claire tossed her head, pushing Karen back with the side of her horn.

"Lily is _not_ creepy. She's the most perfect child that ever lived, and you have no right to criticize her!"

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?"

Claire lowed furiously.

"I have never exaggerated anything in the history of the universe!"

Lowery stepped between them.

"Guys, calm down. There's no reason to-"

"Shut up, Lowery!" Claire growled, "Nobody cares what you think!"

Lowery's mustache twitched.

"Okay, fair enough, but-"

Claire mooed loudly and stomped her feet. Karen and Lowery backed up nervously.

"Claire, stop it!" Karen shouted, "You're acting like a cow!"

Claire pawed at the ground.

" _You're_ the one who's a cow, Karen!" she snarled, "You think you know it all, just because you're still human!"

Karen crossed her arms.

"Why do you always have to be the best, Claire? Can't you just accept the fact that your kid isn't exactly norm-"

Before she could finish, Claire charged forward and pushed her off the dock. Karen screamed in fright, grabbing onto her horns instinctively. They both fell into the water with a big splash. Claire's head didn't go under, but Karen resurfaced with dripping mascara. She sputtered and coughed as Claire dog-paddled over to the pier, grunting in concentration. Lowery helped Karen out of the water and handed her his coat. She draped it over her shoulders and stared bitterly at Claire as she shook herself off.

"You really _are_ an animal."

Claire gave her a hateful glare and left to join Owen and Lily. When she did, she pushed Zach and Gray to the side, taking her family down a separate path.

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie groaned as ten more poll options appeared on her computer screen. She felt like banging her head against the keyboard. In doing so, she could probably come up with a better slogan than anything that had been suggested so far.

"You looking at the slogans?" Elkay asked as she trotted into the newly-renovated lab.

"Uh-huh."

"Anything good?"

Ellie moaned and turned the screen around so that Elkay could see. The dragon pulled her head back in surprise.

"Wow. I didn't think there were so many variations on the word 'shit'."

Ellie tossed her tablet to the side.

"This was a _terrible_ idea! Why did I think people were mature enough to take this seriously?"

"Too much faith in humanity?"

Ellie sighed.

"Maybe. Anyway, I need to find a way to fix this."

"Time travel?" Elkay suggested.

"Well, as long as we're going with the most _reasonable_ alternative," Ellie sassed.

"I'm sure you could find a way to get out of this situation with magic."

Ellie shook her head.

"That sounds lazy. Besides, I don't have enough energy. I've been struggling with my rations."

Before Elkay could open her mouth, Ellie held up her hand to silence her.

"Don't. I already know what you're going to say, so you may as well keep quiet."

Elkay frowned.

"Alright, but if you ask me, you're making a big mistake."

Suddenly, Claire burst through the door. Her clothing seemed to be wet, and she was sobbing heavily. Elkay cocked her head as she pulled off her blazer, slamming it to the ground angrily. She wiped her mascara-stained cheeks and spoke in a shaky voice.

"I'm here now. I can help with the slogan problem."

"Claire, are you okay?" Ellie asked.

"I'm fine. Just let me work."

Elkay dipped her head down.

"Is this my fault in any way?"

"No," Claire replied, shaking her head.

"Good. I see no reason to be here. Tootles!"

Elkay hopped out the window, leaving Ellie and Claire alone. Pulling off the rest of her clothing, Claire sighed and sat down in front of the glowing tablet.

"Do you need a towel?" Ellie asked.

"I need Karen to stop being such a bitch!" Claire barked sourly.

"What happened?"

"She made fun of Lily. She's not the only one, either. I know what people are saying. They're always whispering about how weird it is that Owen and I are together. They laugh at us like we're freaks or something."

Ellie shook her head.

"Claire, I know for a fact that most of the people here have accepted your family's circumstances, especially now that Zara and Vic are the talk of the town . . ."

Claire choked.

"But there are still some people who look down on us. I wouldn't mind if it was just Owen and me, but poor little Lily didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Ellie put her hand on Claire's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. This prejudice is just something you have to deal with. It's not right, and I'll do everything within my power to stop it, but this kind of gossip is bound to happen."

Claire sniffled.

"What can you possibly do? Change everyone's minds?"

"Maybe. If we get them used to it-"

"That'll never work!"

"It might. If I can convince them to see things differently-"

"Impossible. They'll always hate us."

"Not always. We can change their minds."

"The only way to do that would be to make me human again."

Ellie fell silent. Claire sighed dolefully and lay on her belly.

"But I guess that's impossible, isn't it?"

Ellie cocked her head.

"Should I talk to Karen?"

Claire shook her head.

"I'll have a little chat with her when we've both had time to cool down. In the meantime, tell Owen to come up here. I need him right now."

Ellie nodded.

"Alright. I'll go. Don't worry about the rumors, Claire. Everything is going to be okay."

Claire looked down.

"If only that were true . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Vic sat down in front of Lily and made a funny face. He crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, waving his hands back and forth rapidly. Unimpressed, Lily turned to leave. Vic sighed and spun her around.

"Don't go running off, pumpkin. Your daddy is counting on us to keep an eye on you."

Lily frowned bitterly and crawled over to Zara, who was fast asleep. She climbed up on her belly and started bouncing.

"Auntie Zara! Auntie Zara! Up! Up! Play!"

Zara grunted and brushed her off. Vic ran over and caught her.

"Shhh, pumpkin. Zara doesn't want to play. She was up all night performing."

"Purf?" Lily asked.

"Yes, that's right," Vic cooed, "She's very tired, and she doesn't need freaky little babies bouncing on her belly, okay?"

Zara yawned noisily.

"Don't call her freaky, Vic. Claire might push us off a dock."

Vic hummed.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Has anything improved since then?"

Zara shook her head.

"I haven't seen Karen all day. She's probably in the hotel."

At that very moment, Karen stepped into the clearing. When she saw Zara, she had to suppress a gasp of surprise. Ignoring her jagged teeth, she walked over to Vic and Lily, wringing her hands nervously.

"Hi. Don't tell Claire I came here. I thought if I could see the baby alone, I might be able to get used to her."

Vic nodded.

"Sure. You wanna hold her?"

He tried to hand Lily over to Karen, but when she saw her tiny dinosaur hands reaching out for her, she backed away awkwardly.

"Not yet. It's still a little weird for me."

Vic placed Lily on the ground. She wagged her tail and ran over to Karen, who stumbled backwards.

"Oh god! Hold her back a little!"

Vic grabbed Lily and dragged her away from Karen. She gave a distressed whine and punched his face.

"Okay. Ow."

Lily jumped out of his arms and trotted away. When she was out of grabbing-range, she started grazing peacefully.

"Is she supposed to eat grass?" Karen asked uncertainly.

Vic nodded.

"She's half dinosaur and half human. She takes after both sides."

Karen stared at Lily nervously. Slowly, she approached her, leaning backwards like the child was covered in active grenades. Lily continued to graze, unaware that she was being watched. While she was chewing on a large dandelion, Karen reached out and picked her up by the armpits. Lily squeaked in surprise and dropped her snack. She stared at Karen in puzzlement as she held her in front of her face. Karen forced a smile. Lily smiled right back at her, but suddenly, she belched, and Karen dropped her in surprise. When she landed on the ground, Lily coughed twice, then started to cry. Karen backed away nervously as she bawled.

"I didn't mean to drop her . . ."

Vic ran over and started making funny faces to distract Lily. She grimaced, still crying, and pushed him away. Zara scooted closer and dipped her head down to examine Lily.

"Is she hurt?"

Karen gulped.

"Oh, no! Claire is gonna kill me . . ."

Vic tried to stop her as she ran away, but Zara put her wing on his shoulder and shook her head.

"Let her go. She needs some time to think about this."

***TSJWFEW***

By the time Claire filtered out the profane and inappropriate slogans, she was about ready to drop. Her eyelids drooped unevenly, and she had to clap her plates together to stay awake. She lumbered away from the computer with exhaustion, noticing that the sky had grown very dark. Discouraged by her lack of significant progress, Claire wandered out of the lab and took an aimless walk down the road. She passed several buildings, some old and some new, but when she reached the former garage that now served as June's home, she paused. She could see the purple spinosaurus sitting on her bed. She was staring ahead, wrapped up in troubled thoughts. Claire sighed and kept moving.

A loud scraping noise indicated that Zara was nearby. Claire waited for her to appear on the path. Sure enough, she pushed out of the underbrush, carrying a sleeping Lily on her head. She jumped when she saw Claire.

"Oh, hi! I was looking for you. Lily was relatively well-behaved today. She had a little fall, but she isn't hurt."

Claire smiled and caught Lily as Zara dropped her in her arms. Lily hummed quietly and crawled up to Claire's neck as she let her front feet drop to the ground.

"Thank you for looking after her, Zara."

"No problem!" Zara trilled, "Let me know if you need me again."

"I will."

Claire continued to walk down the path as Zara departed, heading for the lagoon. The night grew quiet. Claire became aware of her footsteps, which rumbled like thunder. She began to walk at a pleasant speed. On her back, Lily was dozing off again. She would jerk every few seconds in an attempt to stay awake, but it was a futile effort. Claire smiled as her tiny hands went limp on her neck. She was so small, so fragile, and yet she had a fighting spirit. The way she strutted around gave the impression that she saw herself as being no less threatening than a T-Rex.

When Claire arrived at the hotel (she didn't yet have a permanent residence on the island, as she spent most of her time on the ranch), she saw Zach and Gray sitting gloomily in the lobby. She slowed to a stop and cleared her throat. They looked at her unenthusiastically.

"Hey, boys. What's up?"

Gray crossed his arms.

"Mom is crying. We're supposed to wait here until she's done, because it will be psychologically damaging for us."

Claire blinked.

"Why is she crying?"

"She thinks she doesn't fit in," Zach explained, "I overheard her when she started shouting at Lowery."

Claire gulped.

"What did she say?"

"Something along the lines of: I never asked to be a part of this goddamn crazy community. If Claire wasn't a dinosaur, she wouldn't have to surround herself with these freaks to make herself feel better. She's gone completely and utterly insane, and now she's trying to drag me into her psychotic delusions."

Claire bit her lower beak.

"She said all of that?"

"She yelled it, actually," Zach said casually, "And that's only what I heard."

Claire frowned.

"Well, that's not fair. She can't just decide to ignore Lily like she's some kind of hindrance. She needs her support."

Zach hummed.

"Yeah, I imagine it would be difficult to have an aunt who's never around because she thinks she's too important for her own family."

Claire rumbled in warning.

"Lily needs to sleep. Tell your mother I want to talk to her in the morning."

Without waiting for a reply, Claire marched away. She didn't think she was particularly mad, but her forceful slamming of the door to her room proved otherwise. Startled by the noise, Lily coughed and looked around drowsily. Claire sighed and picked her up by the scruff of the neck, placing her in her cradle. She was about to lift the wall to enclose her, but Lily reached out and touched her beak. Claire sighed and leaned in. Lily rested her cheek against her snout gently.

"Oh, Lily. What am I gonna do?"

Lily looked up at her with a blank, amber stare. Claire felt tears pricking at her eyes.

"They think we're animals. They think we're monsters. And the things they say about your father, Lily . . . they break my heart. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let him love me, but I did. Now he's stuck with the labels they give him. And it's all because of me. And you . . . you never had a chance. I thought you'd have no problem fitting in. I loved you so much that I couldn't imagine how anyone could hate you. I _still_ can't. You're perfect, Lily. I look at you, and I don't see anything terrifying or abnormal. You're the most wonderful person I've ever known. But the others don't see that. I don't know why. Why don't they love you, Lily? Why don't they love you like I do?"

Lily nuzzled her mother, then slipped away from her face and curled up to sleep. Claire sniffled, feeling tears sliding down her face, and ran her front foot over her daughter's back.

"I don't know what to do, Lily. I can't change you, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to. I love you just the way you are. There's no way to make you better. So, what am I doing wrong?"

Lily groaned and shifted anxiously. She was clearly trying to sleep. Giving up, Claire closed the crib and lumbered over to the bed. She pulled a blanket over her back using her beak, then crawled deeper into the covers.

"It's all me, isn't it? If you were on your own, they'd think you were beautiful, but since they know where you come from . . ."

She closed her eyes tight.

"Nobody likes a stegoceratops. I'm neither here nor there. I'm not a dinosaur, I'm not a human, and I'm not an animal. Just when I think I know what I am, I'm proven wrong by a quirk in my biology or a physical aberration. If I'm not something, then I must be nothing. That's why people laugh or cringe when they see me. They make fun of me because I'm a nothing trying to be a something. I'm trying to go back to being Claire Dearing, but I can't. Claire Dearing doesn't have horns or plates or a tail. Claire Dearing is a human, and nothing else. But I don't even know if I _want_ to be her, anymore. Probably not, because she isn't a mother . . ."

Lily was fast asleep. Claire stood up, letting the blanket slip down from her shoulders, and walked over to the crib.

"I'm your only problem, Lily. The people here know that I used to be _something_. Now that I'm nothing, they keep trying to imagine me as the something I used to be. But you're already a something. You're Lily. I know what you are. Even if _I_ can't be something, _you_ can. You'll be the best something that ever walked the earth. Everyone will love you, I guarantee. We just have to make sure that they get to know you. Once they do, it will be impossible for them to hate you."

Realizing that she was whispering too loudly, Claire fell silent. Lily's face scrunched up a little, then softened. Claire smiled.

"I love you, Lily. I'm going to make this right, just wait and see. You're going to be better than Claire Dearing ever was."

She backed away from the crib.

"I promise, Lily. I promise. Everything is going to be okay."

***TSJWFEW***

"DISASTER!" Elkay shrieked as she skittered up to Ellie, "THE FATE OF THE WORLD HANGS IN THE BALANCE! HOW DO I TURN OFF CAPS LOCK?!"

Ellie groaned and spun around in her chair. She had had a very sleepless night, trying to come up with a way to solve Claire's lack of self-confidence.

"What's the crisis?"

"Bonobella, an Asterparan gibbon, is wreaking havoc in Fiction!" Elkay explained, "She'll be passing by here soon, and when she does, she'll defeat us both and move on to the Overworld, exposing all of our secrets!"

Ellie blinked.

"Did you say gibbon?"

"Yes, she's a pale purple gibbon with a nasty attitude. She takes pride in her operatic singing, which is just plain awful. That's why she's screaming at the top of her lungs: she hopes to make everyone deaf so that they'll appreciate her music."

Ellie blinked again.

"That doesn't make sense."

Elkay tugged on her ears in frustration.

"I know! The point is: she's a crazy old coot who is dead set on destroying our eardrums! If we don't stop her soon, bad things will happen!"

"Bad things?"

"Bad. Things."

Ellie sighed.

"Okay. I'll see what I can do to reason with her once she gets here. There's no point in chasing her, since she's coming to our world on her own. In the meantime, I need to help Henry. June refuses to come out of her room."

Elkay growled.

"This is kind of important, Ellie."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, "End of the world. Got it. Take my calls while I'm gone."

Elkay slammed her head against a table as Ellie trotted away casually.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen grinned as Lily blew a spit bubble. She gurgled happily and clapped her hands. Owen reached out and popped it with his index finger.

"Boop!"

Lily smiled and tried to chomp down on his nose. Owen yanked his head away, and she snapped at empty air.

"Not this time, Lily. I'm learning."

They both turned their heads as Claire lumbered into the clearing. She was no longer wearing her clothing, which concerned Owen greatly. Whenever she made a drastic change in her appearance, it was a sign that she was in the middle of an existential crisis. Having been out all night with his friends, Owen wasn't sure if she had truly recovered from her spat with Karen. He was willing to bet that her nakedness (as appealing as it was) was somehow linked to the fight.

"Hey, Claire. What's new?"

She smiled.

"Nothing much. I just came up with a brilliant idea to improve our public image, that's all."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"Claire, whatever this is, it doesn't sound good . . ."

Claire turned her head to grab a scroll that she had been balancing on her shoulders. When the lower half dropped, the page revealed a picture of Owen carrying Lily on his shoulders. He smiled nostalgically.

"I remember that. What do you plan to do with it?"

Claire smiled, transferring the scroll to her front foot (which wasn't very good at holding things).

"I'm going to make sure that everyone knows how happy our family is."

Owen raised his eyebrow.

"By doing what, exactly?"

"I'm going to convince Ellie to use this photo for advertising. That way, we'll normalize our untraditional-ness."

Owen rubbed his chin.

"So, your plan is to plaster our faces everywhere in a vague attempt to win sympathy? Generally, I like it, but we should take different pictures. We can't have the same one over and over again, after all."

Claire grinned.

"Good idea. I'll get my camera."

Owen stood up, holding Lily.

"I'll find a photographer."

Claire waved her front foot.

"No need. I'll do it myself."

"But then you won't be in them."

"That's the idea."

Owen froze. Turning around slowly, he gave her a nervous look.

"Claire . . ."

"Well, I don't want to ruin the photos," she said dismissively, "No one wants to see an ugly thing like me all the time."

Owen placed Lily on the ground. Kneeling in front of Claire's face, he took her cheeks in his hands.

"Claire, I'm only going to say this once: I am not going to allow you to remove yourself from this family."

Claire snorted.

"I'm not removing myself. I just don't think I fit in the picture. The literal picture, not the metaphorical one."

Owen shook his head.

"You're doing it again, Claire. You're letting them get to you."

She tried to pull herself out of his grasp.

"It's not _about_ that. This is what's best for Lily."

"How."

"She should be free of the negative aura I bring to our public perception. If I'm gone-"

"-Lily will think that her mother doesn't have enough confidence to believe that people will admire her family if she's in it," Owen finished.

Claire looked down.

"I wish you wouldn't poke holes in my logic . . ."

Owen kissed the ridge of her beak.

"Claire, you are an integral part of this family. Don't let yourself believe otherwise. Come take a picture with us and show the world how amazing you are, you melliferous saurian Aphrodite!"

Claire sighed.

"Why do you always have to go and make me feel good about myself?"

Owen smiled.

"Because I love you."

Claire nuzzled his chest.

"I love you, too. You used the world 'melliferous' wrong, by the way."

"Did I?"

"It means honey-producing."

Owen shrugged.

"Well, if milk can come from your horns, I wouldn't doubt that you can produce some kind of honey."

Claire smiled.

"That would explain why you're always so sweet."

Just as they were getting wrapped up in their tender moment, a giant foot landed nearby, causing the earth to shake. Lily darted beneath Claire's belly in fear. Before any of them could react, they were blasted with a sound unlike anything they'd ever heard.

Then, everything went silent.

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie exhaled sharply as Henry paced back and forth behind her. She knocked on June's bedroom door again, letting her wings tense up in agitation.

"June?"

"I told you, I'm not coming out!" she shouted from the other side of the door.

"Don't make me come in there!" Ellie barked.

June sniffled pitifully.

"I don't wanna go outside. I might run into Claire."

Henry pulled Ellie away from the door.

"Thanks for trying, but it's a lost cause. June is adamant. I think we should leave her alone for a little while."

Ellie growled.

"Don't enable her. She needs to learn to socialize."

Henry sighed.

"I don't think this is the way to reach her."

Ellie crossed her arms.

"What do you suggest we-"

Suddenly, a loud shriek pierced the air. Ellie felt her feathers standing on end. When the shock wore off, Henry looked around with wide eyes.

"What was _that_?"

Ellie frowned.

"No idea. Did it sound like a gibbon?"

Henry shook his head slowly.

"I don't _think_ so . . ."

"Alright, then we're probably safe."

Henry blinked.

"Ellie, why did you think it was a _gibbon_?"

She shrugged.

"I'm supposed to be keeping an eye out for an Asterparan criminal. It's no big deal."

"You sure?"

"Mhm. I have time to help you."

Henry twisted his mouth.

"If you say so . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen was on her way to the Visitors' Center when Claire burst out of the jungle. At first, she thought that she was going to yell at her again, but her facial expression indicated that she was very much distressed. She choked and coughed as she tried to speak, sobbing helplessly.

"She took Lily! The monster took Lily!"

Karen gasped.

"Oh my god! Claire, what happened?"

"I can't hear you, Karen. It made a sound and- Look, that's not important. We need to find Lily. The monster took her away. It's big and purple and it looks like a monkey."

Karen frowned in confusion.

"Claire, you're not making any sense. There are plenty of monsters on this island, and I have no idea which one you're referring to."

Claire sniffed, her beak quivering weakly. Karen was alarmed to see that two trickles of blood were pouring out of her earholes. She took a deep breath and began to mime out her words as she said them.

"Come with me. We'll find the wing-lady you're always talking about and ask for help. She'll know what to do."

Claire nodded rapidly.

"Find Ellie. Yes. That's what we have to do. Get on my back. I run faster than you."

Karen's eyes went wide.

"Claire-"

"Just do it!" Claire barked, "My baby is missing, and I don't have time for your stupid reservations!"

Karen gulped and swung her leg over Claire's neck. When she started to gallop down the road, Karen shrieked and grabbed onto her frill.

"I know you can't hear me, Claire, but when we find Lily, you owe me _big time_!"

***TSJWFEW***

Ellie tried to walk backwards as she held June firmly by the tail. They had made it to the front door, but June was hanging onto the frame with all of her might. Her claws made long marks across the wall as Ellie tried to drag her outside.

"Come on, June, this is for your own good!"

The spinosaurus wailed in agony.

"Please, don't make me! I can't do this!"

"You can!"

"I can't!"

Henry tried to push Ellie away.

"She's upset! You're hurting her!"

Ellie growled.

"Goddamn it, Henry, if you could only think back to all of the times Seri had to drag you outside, you'd realize-"

"This is _different_ , Ellie! Let her go!"

Ellie gnashed her teeth.

"I will _not_ let go! There is nothing you can do to-"

Ellie was knocked off of her feet by Elkay, who was in the middle of a clumsy landing. As soon as June was released from her grasp, she skittered up to her room and slammed the door. Ellie wiggled out from beneath the dragon and sneered.

"I was so _close_! Why'd you have to go and do that?"

Elkay lifted her head.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. I can't hear you," she shouted loudly, "Bonobella arrived, and since you seemed wrapped up in your little quest, I decided to dump the work on your half-cousin."

She pointed to the sky, where a black and white figure was spiraling out of control.

"He's a dragon now, by the way. It just kind of ha-"

"The gibbon is _here_?!" Ellie shrieked, yanking Elkay's horn.

"Ow! Careful! Look, I thought I could defeat opera with opera, but what Bonobella is spouting just happens to be a sound worse than any boyband of the 90's. This is gonna get real messy if you don't intervene."

Ellie let her wings droop sadly.

"Oh, no . . . This is all my fault."

"Yeah, you should have listened to me. Now it's me who can't listen, because my ears are broken."

"Then how are you hearing what I say?"

"I can read lips."

Ellie turned around.

"Alright. I'm going after the gibbon."

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Make sure you have enough magic left to restore everyone's hearing!"

***TSJWFEW***

Claire and Karen found the gibbon deep in the forest. They had given up on searching for Ellie, since a giant primate would be easier to locate, anyway. Owen was obviously looking in the wrong place, since he was not present. They could certainly use his rifle savvy at the moment.

The fluffy, humanoid creature was holding Lily with her tail. Although Claire was currently deaf, she could tell that her daughter was screaming at the top of her lungs. The gibbon gave them a sideways glance as they approached. Karen dismounted Claire and cleared her throat.

"Um, hello," she said quietly, "That dinosaur is ours."

The gibbon frowned.

"Go away. Me want to be alone."

Karen gulped.

"We'll gladly leave, but you have to give us the baby first."

The gibbon shook her head.

"She sings beautifully. Has perfect pitch."

Karen listened to Lily's wailing, and wondered if this primate had ever heard actual music.

"Listen, that child is my sister's daughter, and she needs her back."

"Why she no ask for her, herself?"

"She's deaf. She says you screamed at her."

The gibbon sneered.

"Funny-looking cow no appreciate musical ability. Is not screaming: is singing."

A third voice rang out from across the clearing.

"Really? According to a very reliable source, you're trying your hardest to make sure that people _don't_ hear you."

Ellie glided down from a tree and stood in front of the gibbon defiantly.

"Give it up, Bonobella. You're no match for a Queen."

The gibbon bared her teeth.

"Queen no have full power. Will be defeated easily."

Ellie clenched her fists.

"I may not have much magic, but I have enough to-"

The gibbon let out a piercing shriek, causing everyone who wasn't already deaf to stumble backwards. Ellie held her ears and yelped.

"Jesus Christ!"

The gibbon prowled forward.

"It's time to end this, Ellen Sattler."

Ellie wiped the blood from her ears.

"I can't hear you, you crazy primate! You're not even a real gibbon! What kind of an ape has a tail?"

Bonobella grabbed her by the waist.

"Any last words?"

Ellie blinked.

"What?"

"Any last words?" the gibbon repeated.

"WHAT?"

As the gibbon rolled her eyes, Karen dashed forward and removed Lily from the crook of her tail. Thinking fast, Claire rammed her head into the monster's thigh. The ape howled as Claire's horns sunk into her fur, then dropped Ellie. As she hit the ground, she rolled over and called out telepathically.

'Elkay!'

The dragon tumbled into the clearing.

'Ellie, why are you talking to me via telepathy? Haven't you used enough magic alrea-"

Without missing a beat, Ellie hopped onto Elkay's head. The Star arose from her chest and clicked into place between the dragon's horns. A beam of light shot from her beak, sending the gibbon into the sky with a small twinkle of light. When Ellie pulled away from her grandmother's horns, The Star made a snapping sound, like a cosmic can of Coke. Ellie caught her breath, then let her wings droop.

"I guess that's it."

Elkay blinked.

"Okay, even as far as Deus Ex Machinas go, that was really forced."

Ignoring her, Ellie raised her hands, restoring everyone's hearing. With heavy steps, she walked over to a fallen tree and sat down.

"You were right about my magic, Elkay. I needed it. I just didn't think I was ready. Whether I can handle it or not, this power is my responsibility. I have to learn to live with it."

Elkay folded her ears back.

"So, the secret to removing your limitations was sharing The Star? That's kind of prissy."

Ellie nodded.

"My magic is back now. I'm everything the world needs me to be."

Elkay cleared her throat.

"You're the hero we deserve, but not the one-"

Ellie cuffed her angrily.

"I feel shitty enough as it is. Don't make this stupider."

On the other side of the clearing, Claire was rocking Lily back and forth.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's okay. I'll never let anything happen to you ever again. We'll go find your father and take a break from all of this craziness."

Lily bumped her nose, then pointed her front foot at Karen, who was crying for some reason. Claire placed Lily on her neck and walked up to her sister.

"What's wrong?"

Karen wiped her eyes.

"I feel really stupid. I was judging Lily for no reason-"

Claire sighed as Karen broke into a shrill whimper.

"Don't worry about it. It's over now."

Karen shook her head.

"No, it's not right. I shouldn't have been so awkward about it. I thought I was bringing you down because everyone here is crazy, but I guess I was doing it because I don't like being the boring one."

Claire smiled.

"There's nothing wrong with being ordinary. Nothing wrong with being weird, either. We're proud to be family, no matter how silly it seems."

Claire mooed in surprise and fell backwards as Elkay zipped up to her.

"That's _brilliant_!"

***TSJWFEW***

The next day, Ellie and Elkay mounted a sign that stated "Welcome to Isla Nublar! We're proud to be family, no matter how silly it seems!". Owen, Lily, and Claire all made appearances on the billboard. Everyone agreed that it was very touching, although maybe not as good as what they had suggested. Karen eventually apologized for everything she had said and done, and began to tolerate Claire's family . . . mostly because she was too weirded out by Zara and Vic's relationship to care about anything else. Bonobella was arrested by Asterparan officials, and was sentenced to three months in rehabilitation therapy. She still can't sing. June came out of her room briefly, which was progress. Charlie and his thirty children baked the world's largest pie, despite the fact that literally no one paid attention to them for the whole chapter. Yannick later ate the whole pie by himself, and proceeded to vomit all over Robin, who threw up in turn. Elkay never found the lost city of Atlantis, and stated, "I didn't really try, but I want people to think that I'm good at exploring or whatever". After a period of intense scientific research, raptor scientists discovered that Jurassic Park 3 is, in fact, worse than cancer. When asked how they came to this conclusion, they simply replied, "watch the movie". Vic and Zara are still going strong, and Vivian has speculated that they are secretly having sex. Nobody dared ask, however, as it's something no one should ever have to think about. Ever. Zach and Gray found another portal to Shmarnia, where they discovered that all of their Shmarnian friends were dead, and the world was taken over by a Spanish regime for some reason. The Narnia books never made sense, anyway. Ellie learned that final summarizing paragraphs should be kept to a minimum, lest the reader get bored of the deadpan jokes, especially ones that pertain to serious maladies. Dr. Richthofen died of cholera shortly after.


	70. Ellie Of The Apes

"Crisis alert!"

Ellie dropped the spoonful of soup she had been lifting towards her mouth and sighed.

"What is it, Elkay? Giant ants? Demonic baboons?"

"Nope. Gorillas."

"Demonic gorillas?"

"No, just regular gorillas," Elkay said breezily, "They can talk, though. They're an indigenous tribe in Asterpara. They're living near an active volcano that's about to erupt. We need to move them."

Ellie raised her eyebrow.

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that so you can exploit some kind of natural resource nearby?"

"Who do I look like, James Cameron? Tangent: who would win in a fistfight between James Cameron and Abraham Lincoln?"

"You're not gonna suggest a fistfight between two directors?"

"No. That would make sense."

"Abraham Lincoln. Back on topic: what are we gonna do about these gorillas?"

Elkay smiled cockily.

" _You_ are gonna negotiate with them and try to make them see that evacuating the mountain is the best possible option. They're super sensitive to violence and shouting, so make sure not to offend them in any way."

Ellie nodded.

"And where will _you_ be?"

"I'm spending the day with my adopted starfish sister."

Ellie winced at the mention of her least favorite animal. Recovering from the sick spell, she pulled out a notepad and plucked a feather from her wing.

"Okay. What do I need to bring on this trip?"

"Hiking gear, I guess. What's more important is what you _shouldn't_ bring. You have to block off all of your magic for the day. The tribe won't listen to you if they think you're a threat."

Ellie sighed.

"I finally get my magic back, and it turns out my first mission requires that I get rid of it. Outstanding."

Elkay smiled.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, with or without your magic. You once survived on a wild Isla Nublar with the power of speech alone, remember. The ability to form settlements comes naturally to you."

Ellie nodded.

"Alright. I'll do it."

Elkay grinned, elbowing her shoulder.

"Good. I'm proud of you for taking initiative."

"It's not so much taking initiative as doing everything you say," Ellie pointed out.

Elkay shrugged.

"Well, as long as it gets done."

***TSJWFEW***

As Ellie strolled down the pier with a backpack on her shoulders, she was surprised to hear a second pair of feet jogging up to her. When she saw that it was Alan, she smiled.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," he replied, slightly out of breath.

"I'm supposed to be negotiating with a bunch of apes," Ellie explained, hoping that he wouldn't ask for details.

"Fun. Can I come with?"

Ellie blinked.

"Uh . . ."

"I promise, I won't get in the way. I already packed."

He turned around, and sure enough, he was wearing a backpack with several water bottles dangling from it. Ellie cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Alan . . . What are you doing?"

"I thought I could hang out with you, since the dragon isn't around," he said casually.

Ellie hummed.

"Well, this isn't really a 'hanging out' kind of mission."

Alan's mouth twitched.

"Do you not want me to come?"

Ellie gulped.

"Well, I mean, you can come, but I'm not sure you'd enjoy yourself."

"As long as we're together, I always enjoy myself."

Suddenly, Elkay ran down the dock, pushing Alan to the side with her foot.

"Out of my way, you old fart!"

Ellie shot him an apologetic glance. Elkay lowered her front feet to the ground and gave one of her massive, pointy-toothed grins.

"Are you ready?"

Ellie nodded.

"My magic is gone for the day."

"Great! I'll drop you off in Asterpara."

Ellie held up her hand.

"Wait. Alan wants to come, too."

Elkay turned around slowly and stared at Alan, who smiled nervously. She burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, that's hilarious! He's going to get himself killed!"

Alan's eyes darted to the side and back. Ellie stepped between them.

"Shush, Elkay. He can come."

Elkay folded her ears back, suddenly serious.

"This is a bad idea, Ellie."

She gave her a meaningful stare.

"He can come."

Elkay sighed, turning her eyes to the sky pointedly.

"Fine. But don't blame me when things turn sour."

***TSJWFEW***

Alan was blown away by how easy it was to travel to the land of Asterpara. Elkay had a very unique way of making the journey, namely by water. She simply dove into the ocean and exploded from an Asterparan pond, spraying water everywhere. It was downright miraculous.

Ellie had mentioned that her grandmother was capable of doing this, but Alan never fully understood what she meant. She wasn't particularly good at explaining magic in a concise way. Strange, considering she was supposed to be narrating the "story". Then again, writing wasn't exactly her strong suit. Alan had read snippets of the manuscript, and noticed that there was very little information about the settings of each scene. He was inclined to believe that Ellie was very forgetful, or else the auto-narration (whatever that entailed) wasn't suited for such things. In any case, he dared not ask about the writing. The last time someone questioned the purpose of documenting Ellie's life, Elkay butted in, reciting a lengthy speech about the importance of Fiction. Of course, the dragon had now departed, so Alan would be able to discuss these matters more openly . . . if Ellie was willing, of course.

For a while, they hiked up the lush volcano in silence. Alan wasn't too happy about the lack of conversation, but he didn't complain. He simply took in the scenery while he waited for something to happen. They were in a tropical jungle, it seemed, not too different from Isla Nublar's biome. Of course, Isla Nublar didn't have giant, man-eating plants. Alan jumped back as an abnormally large Venus flytrap snapped at him. Hearing the noise, Ellie wheeled around and stepped in front of him defensively.

"Excuse me, sir, but I'd appreciate it if you could leave my friend alone."

The plant nodded.

"Of course, Queen Ellie."

Alan watched it sink into the forest with wide eyes. Ellie grinned playfully.

"You surprised?"

"I've seen you talk to plants before, but they've never replied until now."

Ellie smiled.

"Well, things are a little different around here."

Alan nodded.

"I'm sure you're used to it by now, since you're always going on adventures."

Ellie frowned and crossed her arms.

"Alright, Mr. Passive-Agressive. Tell me what's on your mind."

"Well, I-"

"Walk and talk."

They started walking. Alan took a deep breath.

"You haven't been around, recently."

Ellie's wings twitched.

"I've been trying as hard as I can. I visit Charlie almost every day. You know that."

"But you never spend time with your friends."

"It's hard," Ellie replied brusquely.

"Ian was just saying that he hasn't seen you in months," Alan continued, "Why don't you visit him or something?"

She stared ahead vacantly.

"It's hard to find the time."

"You seem to have enough time to make sure that Claire is alright . . ."

Ellie stopped walking. She turned around deliberately.

"Alan, do you remember what it was like when we were the center of this story? We had a ton of shit piled up on us all at once. I don't want to subject my friends to that conflict again. That's why I don't focus on our adventures. I'm busy with Claire now."

"But you don't _need_ to help Claire."

"I do," Ellie stated firmly, "It's my fault she got dragged into this."

"How?"

Ellie hummed.

"Okay, it's actually Elkay's fault, but that's irrelevant. What happened with Zebil was not preventable, and what happened with Eponymicus was even less so. Now that I have things somewhat under control, I can make sure that my family's actions don't harm the Dearing family any more than they already have."

"That's funny, because you seemed to be in charge when Henry's daughter slaughtered Claire's closest friends."

Alan knew that he had gone too far when he saw the look on Ellie's face. She clenched her fists and stalked forward dangerously.

"That was because of Neith. She was-"

"It doesn't matter!" Alan interrupted defiantly, "You can't just blame everything on the magic creature of the week! Your grandmother has hundreds of relatives that despise her, and they always seem to interfere with your plans. If they're mad enough to seek revenge against her all the time, what does that say about her character?"

Ellie frowned.

"She needs me. Do you have even the slightest idea what she's been through?"

"I don't care," Alan asserted, "She's crazy, and I want her gone."

Ellie's wings trembled with rage.

"She's not just a puppy I found on the side of the road: she's my grandmother. I can't just kick her out. Since when was it your decision, anyway?"

"Since always!" Alan snarled, "We used to make decisions together."

"So, what's stopping us now?" Ellie retorted.

"The dragon. Ever since she moved to our world, you've been going on pointless expeditions. Some of her habits have rubbed off on you, too. She's putting an inordinate amount of stress on our family."

"But she's a _part_ of our family!" Ellie insisted, "Without us, she has nothing!"

"That's her own fault!" Alan barked, "She's a miserable, old creature with no friends, and you're only enabling her by pretending to put up with her shit!"

Ellie spread her wings in a frightening display.

"STOP IT! YOU'LL ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE!"

Alan glared at her bitterly.

"If you care about our family, you'll tell her to leave."

Ellie took a step forward, but suddenly, a large gorilla swung down from the trees and grabbed her by the waist. Alan stood petrified as she was carried away, kicking and screaming without any magic to defend herself. When he snapped out of his stupor, he ran after her.

"Ellie! . . . Ellie! . . ."

Suddenly, he was knocked over by the wind from a pair of beating wings. He sat up and frowned.

"Oh, and I suppose you were listening in on our conversation, you miserable dragon?"

"Actually, I'm Neithhotep, but thank you for being so insensitive," she replied, "I thought for sure you'd be able to distinguish me from my daughter by now. Speaking of which, her time with Raven was cut short because of 'unknown reasons'. She was checking up on Ellie via the manuscript, and all of a sudden, she started sobbing, ran away to grab her egg, then flew off to god knows where, leaving a sloppy note behind. I read through it, and whatever you said about her must have done some serious damage, because she started rambling about Jurassic Park 3 and how she was causing bad things to happen . . . I don't understand, really. All I know is that she's gone now, and it's all because of something you said. Don't get me wrong: I don't care about any of this, but Ellie won't be too happy when she finds out, so I'd fix this as soon as possible if I were you."

During all of this, Alan had been staring at her with his mouth agape. Unimpressed by his reaction, Neithhotep rolled her eyes and took off, beating her wings slowly.

"Good luck. If you need to resort to overly-simplistic tactics, my daughter can be lured out of hiding with chocolate. Don't ask me why."

Alan blinked.

"How do I get back?"

Neithhotep opened her mouth, and a bright sphere shot out from her throat. It opened into a glowing portal.

"Whatever happens, leave me out of this," she said threateningly, "I'm only the messenger."

When she was gone, Alan stood up and brushed himself off. In the span of only a few minutes, he had managed to lose Ellie and frighten away her grandmother. The logical thing to do would be to fix one of those two problems. Alan knew that he was in no state to fight a tribe of angry apes, so that left only one option.

He was going to find Elkay.

***TSJWFEW***

As it turned out, searching for a distressed dragon was easier than he thought. All he had to do was wave around a specific kind chocolate bar, and the dragon waddled out into the open with tears streaming down her face. She had been hiding deep in the jungles of Isla Nublar with her egg. Perhaps she couldn't find the strength to leave her new home permanently.

"I know this was a trick, but can I have the chocolate?" she whispered.

Alan crossed his arms.

"Only if you help me find Ellie."

"Why?!" Elkay sobbed, "Get my mother to do it! She's more sensible!"

Alan frowned.

"No games. Ellie's in trouble. Help me."

Elkay sniffled noisily.

"But I'm tearing the family apart."

Alan rubbed his forehead.

"Listen, you like story-things, right? Just look at this as the adventure that will bring us together emotionally, ending with your redemption. Or something."

Elkay nodded reluctantly.

"That makes sense. But why would you ask for my help if you hate me?"

Alan held the chocolate bar away from her claws as she made a grab for it.

"I hate you more than I've hated anyone in my entire life. But I love Ellie more than I hate you, and that's what counts. Now, are you with me or not?"

Elkay grabbed the chocolate bar and unfolded her wings.

"Let's ride!"

***TSJWFEW***

By the time they reached the gorilla's land, both Elkay and Alan sensed that something was horribly wrong. The jungle was so silent that it seemed to be filled with a kind of counter-noise. The lack of sound took on a life of its own, creeping across the ground like an invisible fog. That was the general vibe, anyway. Elkay landed, ears twitching, and shivered.

"I sense dark magic."

Alan gulped.

"Is it from the gorillas?"

Elkay shook her head.

"The gorillas don't use magic. I can't imagine where it's coming from . . ."

Alan kneeled down to examine the ground. Several dark shapes were scattered among the fallen leaves. Their structure was eerily familiar. Alan picked up one of the larger plumes and ran his finger down the ebony barbs. There was no mistaking the shape, but the color was completely wrong.

Suddenly, Ellie stumbled out of the trees. Her clothing was torn up in places, and she was covered in blood that was not her own. She collapsed in Alan's arms, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"They're dead," she choked, "The gorillas are all dead."

Elkay twisted her neck rapidly to stare at her in alarm.

"Dead? How?"

Ellie shivered.

"A- A giant cassowary swooped down and attacked them. It wiped out the entire colony. There were no survivors."

Elkay blinked.

"No survivors except you, you mean. I guess that solves the problem of relocating them, anyway. Being killed by a giant bird is much more humane than burning up in lava."

Ellie shook her head.

"No . . . No, it wasn't."

Elkay shrugged.

"Whatever. Hey, have you guys noticed that our adventures seem to be ending with counter-resolutions, recently? Like, we'll go through all the motions, albeit in a somewhat rushed manner, then all of a sudden, there will be a Deus Ex Machina or a really forced resolution of some kind. I'm not saying we should adhere to the three act structure, but this is some lazy Godard bullshit. What's up with that?"

Ellie was trembling furiously. Alan put his arms around her and stroked her hair.

"Let's get you home. Elkay, come back too. I didn't mean what I said. I was just upset."

Elkay grinned.

"Hooray! Even though we didn't get a satisfying conclusion, our emotional arc-"

Alan shook his head pointedly. Elkay looked down at Ellie and gulped.

"Yeah, okay. Let's go home."

She was about to start walking, but she turned back at the last second.

"Do you need to talk, Ellie?"

"Why?" she asked in alarm, pulling away from Alan so suddenly that it made him jump.

"No reason, no reason!" Elkay bleated, "I'm just wondering if this event traumatized you or something. It must have been brutal to watch."

Ellie nodded slowly.

"Yes. It was. It reminded me of the Stegoceratops Massacre. Only a monster could do something like that."

Elkay nodded.

"Cassowaries are known to be violent. Never heard of one flying, though. Are you sure it 'swooped' down?"

Ellie nodded.

"She did."

Elkay hummed.

"Well, there you go. We have an avian criminal on our hands. I'll look into it as soon as possible. First, I need to get back to my egg."

Elkay trotted away, humming a forcefully cheerful tune. Ellie walked behind her, leaning on Alan for support. They climbed down the hill, headed for the small pond from which they came.

Behind them, a cloud of black feathers swirled ominously in the wind.


	71. Black And Pink All Over

It was noon. Of course, the time of day was not relevant in any way, but since Ellie had been criticized for not starting any chapters with elements of setting or mood, she was overcompensating in her narration. She was currently sitting by the giant search engine that Elkay had made for her. Why? Who knew. She had been trying to look something up, but she forgot what it was halfway through. While she waited for it to come back to her, she scribbled on the manuscript with a rather messy quill. Had the paper been thin enough to break, the tip of the feather would have pierced the page. Ellie was putting a lot of pressure on the parchment, because she was in a terrible mood. She didn't appreciate everything Alan had said about her, especially now that his thoughts (to some degree) were being expressed in the narrative. And yet, she was still unable to improve her writing, even with his criticism in mind. It was infuriating.

"Goddamn it, I'm a terrible author," Ellie muttered, "I'm laying it on so thick that I can't come up with a clever way to end this sentence."

She sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"I guess it doesn't help that I'm talking to myself. Nobody does this in real life unless they're crazy."

Which she was.

"I don't want to think about that."

She did, however, end up thinking about whatever it was that she had been trying to suppress, and promptly destroyed the paragraphs that described what was going on inside of her head. She wiped away her tears and sighed.

"Oh, god. This is bad. This is _so_ bad."

She was just about to restart the chapter and give it no dialogue whatsoever, but her pathetic attempt at excusing her incompetence with an avant-garde style was interrupted when Elkay burst into the room.

"Where's Claire? I need her."

"What for?" Ellie asked.

"We're going to design stuffed dinosaurs for the Build-A-Claire Workshop. I need to see what she looks like when she's standing on two legs."

Ellie hummed.

"She's at the cabin. Don't bother her. She's still recovering from the Bonobella incident."

"Oh, that ruminant rascal!" Elkay laughed, "Doesn't she know that it's her job to be cute and cuddly for the fans?"

Ellie sighed.

"You know, you're really starting to sell out. It's almost disgusting how much you're exploiting our likenesses."

"Oh, Ellie. You can't stay mad about that one action figure forever. Besides, _our_ toys don't sell nearly as well as Claire's."

Ellie frowned.

"Don't bring up that stupid trinket. It was disgusting."

"Well, suppose a kid _wants_ to remove your head to reenact the battle of Uluru . . ."

"Shut up. Don't make fun of people's deaths."

"Would it help if I made fun of one of the times _I_ died?" Elkay cooed.

"No!" Ellie snapped, "That would be immat- Wait, you died more than once?"

Elkay nodded.

"Mhm. That was back when I was good, and there was no Elliesium to contain me. There was a space between the Beneath and the world of the living-"

"I don't care. My point is, you shouldn't exploit people's personal tragedies like that."

Elkay hummed grumpily.

"So, the Zebil prototype is in poor taste, then?"

"I haven't seen it, but yes."

Elkay crossed her arms grumpily.

"You're no fun, Ellie. If you knew how much other people exploited random crap for monetary gain, you wouldn't think twice about my stupid escapades."

Ellie gave her a look of disdain.

"Elkay, you're probably the most capitalistic dragon I've ever met."

"That's racist."

"How?"

"There's a common stereotype that dragons like to hoard riches," she explained, "I mean, it's true, but we're not the worst for it. I had a friend- Well, ex-friend, really- who made gazillions off of Overworld merchandise."

Ellie lifted her head.

"An Asterparan sold goods in the Overworld?"

Elkay hummed.

"Well, not quite. See, when I created the Overworld, she cast a spell to exploit the popularity of pink zebra print. For every piece of pink zebra merchandise sold, she gains liquefied gold that is approximately the same mass as the object in question."

Ellie smirked.

"That's a very specific spell."

Elkay snorted.

"Yes, well, we all have our talents. Mine's transfiguration. It's weird, because my mom can only change for a few minutes at a time. I've only ever seen her as a human and a boa . . ."

"When was she a boa?"

"You weren't around. Well, you were, but you didn't see. Kind of. It's an Easter Egg. Anyway, now my ex-friend is super rich and refuses to give me the time of day."

"Weren't you Queen when all of this happened?"

"Yes, but Mo'nique wasn't really concerned with that. She spells her name with an apostrophe, by the way. Don't ask me why. She's just eccentric, I guess. Point is, don't buy any pink zebra stuff. Ever."

Ellie sighed.

"Alright. Can I have some time alone now? I'm feeling a little bit blue."

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Mrs. Grumpy Pants. I'll go out and find something to do. I've been meaning to tease Vic. God, he's such a square."

Ellie frowned.

"Don't tease people. Especially Vic. He's sensitive."

Elkay gave a honking laugh.

"Ha! Don't get me started! The other day, I tried to get him to snap back into his evil ways to prove a point, but just when it looked like he was going to break, he burst into tears and started whining about how much he hated himself and how he didn't deserve Zara and-"

Ellie stood up quite suddenly.

"Elkay, what have I told you about being unnecessarily cruel?"

The dragon rubbed her chin.

"Mmm . . . Something about not doing it?"

"Exactly!" Ellie spat, "You make it really hard for me to defend you. You know I care about making you feel welcomed here, but you have to do the same for everyone else. Be nice. Set a good example. By the time your egg hatches, I expect you to be a model citizen."

Elkay snarled.

"It's not _my_ fault, Ellie! Everyone around here is beneath me. Vic and Zara are gross, Claire is neurotic, Owen is attractive but otherwise worthless, Alan's a grumpy old man, Charlie and Kelly are busy with their kids, Zebil is dead, Robin is dumb as a bag of hammers, my mom is an asshole, and that magic talking marshmallow you keep telling me about doesn't seem to exist. How am I supposed to be nice to a bunch of losers?"

Ellie exhaled in frustration.

"Those 'losers' are my friends. I don't expect you to relate to them, but please don't make your situation worse by provoking a negative reaction."

Elkay rolled onto her back.

"I want a friend, Ellie. I need someone who understands my need to bitch about everything that bugs me. Can't we make an evil clone of you or something?"

Ellie rubbed her temples.

"I think I've had enough of you today. Go find something useful to do."

"Can I set something on fire?"

"No."

"Can I set something on ice?"

"That's not a real expression."

Elkay darted out the door.

"That wasn't a 'no'! I'm going to freeze the hospital! Stop me, Ellie, stop me!"

Ellie did not move. She could hear Elkay cackling maniacally as she ran down the hallway. With a bitter frown, she turned to the supercomputer and started typing in search directions.

"You want a friend, Elkay? I'll _get_ you a friend . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"You _WHAT_?!" Elkay shrieked, "Why on earth would you ask Mo'nique to come _here_? Are you _crazy_?"

Ellie continued to strut down the pier.

"You need a friend, Elkay, and from what I gather, Mo'nique was your pal for a very long time."

Elkay dragged her lower eyelids downwards with her claws and groaned.

"Ellie, you don't understand this whole 'grudge' thing, do you? I _hate_ Mo'nique. I hate the way she talks, I hate the way she dresses-"

"Do pink zebras even wear clothing?"

"No! That's what I hate about her! She's so pretentious and pompous and periwinkle-"

"Your alliterations make no sense," Ellie grumbled, "Look, just give her a chance, okay? It's been eons since you last saw her. Maybe she's changed."

"People like that don't _change_ , Ellie. She's a selfish a-hole who only cares about her own needs."

"Like you."

"Yes, like- Wait a minute . . ."

Ellie smiled.

"Take it easy, okay? Everything is going to be just fine."

Elkay hissed bitterly.

"You're wrong, Ellie. Dead wrong."

Elkay marched down the pier, her claws clicking steadily. Ellie made her way back to the island, where Neithhotep was waiting.

"Is Mo'nique really as bad as Elkay says?" she asked, "She's making her out to be a selfish bitch, but she once claimed that Joe Johnston was Satan, so I'm not sure if she's exaggerating or not."

Neithhotep shrugged.

"Mo'nique is a little bit greedy, but nowhere as bad as Elkay claims. And when did she say this about Joe Johnston? I thought she liked most of his movies."

"Yes, but he also directed Jurassic Park 3."

Neithhotep nodded.

"Ah, yes. Elkay described the film as a slanderous betrayal akin to-"

"Sh! Keep quiet about that. The political blabberings of Elkay should not be registered on the manuscript!" Ellie hissed.

Neithhotep rolled her eyes.

"Ellie, please. She's frightened away the people with weak sensitivities long ago."

"Long, _long_ ago."

Neithhotep looked down the dock. Turning as well, Ellie saw Mo'nique strutting towards Elkay with a very cocky "hey girl" kind of air about her. She said something to Elkay, who said something back. They then opened a portal and walked through it.

"Wow, that was quick," Neithhotep said flatly.

Ellie nodded.

"I guess that means they're friends again."

"And?"

"I'm off the hook. Elkay is done with being a pain in the ass."

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay giggled as Mo'nique handed her a clutch of giant quail eggs. They peeked over a hedge and smiled deviously.

"Okay," Elkay whispered, "One . . . Two . . . _Three_!"

They stood up and started pelting the eggs at a nearby house. The heavy splat-splat-splat of the exploding spheres rattled the walls. Elkay and her companion ducked out of sight as the lights flicked on inside. A very disgruntled man opened the window.

"Hello? Is someone there? I'm Joe Johnston, director of Jurassic Park 3."

Mo'nique narrowed her eyes.

"Who introduces themselves like that?"

Elkay shrugged.

"Joe Johnston, I guess."

The director leaned out of the window.

"If you're here about the movie, you can just leave your hate mail out front. I have a separate box for it. Just put it in the second one if the first is full."

Elkay blinked.

"Wow. He must have a lot of hate to deal with. I almost . . . feel _sorry_ for him."

"Well, he has to face lots'a criticism," Mo'nique said casually.

Elkay folded her ears back in distress.

"I guess I never thought . . . I mean . . . people just hate him so much . . ." Elkay muttered remorsefully.

"He really screwed up Jurassic Park 3."

"Yeah . . . he did . . . only, he reminds me of Ellie."

Mo'nique pulled her head back in surprise.

"How?"

"I dunno," Elkay sighed, "She takes a lot of shit from people who would otherwise be her friends, but now that she's Queen, they see her as some kind of metaphorical punching bag."

They turned as Joe Johnston called out to them.

"Hey, you lousy kids! I can hear you back there! Get off my property, or I'll shoot you dead! I mean it!"

Elkay padded away with Mo'nique following close behind.

"That was totally worth it, but what's even better is that it gave me an idea," she announced.

"And what idea would that happen to be?" Mo'nique asked.

"I'm going to narrate again."

Mo'nique blinked rapidly, still clip-clopping steadily down the road.

"Narrate? You sure Ellie would be okay with that?"

"Mhm. She's not very good at it, and besides, she needs a break."

Mo'nique smiled.

"Well, here's to a good-"

They yelped as a bullet whizzed past them.

"Run first, talk later!" Elkay shrieked.

***TSJWFEW***

Eventually, Elkay and Mo'nique returned to Isla Nublar. They were now best friends, but since Mo'nique had an estate to attend to in Asterpara, she had to leave the next day. She promised to drop by every now and then to check up on Elkay, because she needed a good bitching session to relieve the stress of being surrounded by weirdos.

Ellie agreed that Elkay should start narrating again. That's why Elkay ended the last paragraph on a high note. Unlike Ellie, she could anticipate when the audience would be getting bored.

Now that she was in charge, the story would be a whole lot more comprehensive.


	72. Asset Management

Claire was watching television with Owen. Well, they weren't really watching, per se, but rather, trying to stay awake. Owen was in the process of dozing off, it seemed. He was leaning back against Claire's belly like she was a living couch, but she didn't mind. She licked his cheek as he drifted off. He smiled and opened his eyes.

"I must be tired," he yawned, "Lily's really taken it out of me."

Claire turned off the TV with her tail and nuzzled his chest.

"You wanna go to bed?"

"Only if you want to."

Claire mooed and bumped his cheek with the side of her horn.

"Don't just do things because I tell you to."

Owen smiled and pulled her face forward for a kiss.

"If I ignored your advice, I'd be dead a million times over."

"Damn right."

As they started to embrace, the pattering of tiny feet crossed the hall. They turned and saw Lily standing on two legs in the doorway. She was holding her stuffed cow and sucking on her foot. Claire smiled and stretched herself out, then walked over to her.

"Hey, sweetheart. What's up?"

Lily pointed to the kitchen.

"Water."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Baby, if we give you a glass of water, you'll just be up in five minutes."

Lily frowned and pointed to the kitchen again.

"Water."

Owen smiled and picked her up by the armpits.

"The girl wants what she wants. You know there's no arguing with her."

Claire rolled her eyes as Owen and Lily rubbed noses.

"Fine, but don't blame me when she wakes us up in the middle of the night."

Claire lumbered over to the pantry, opening it with her right horn. She grabbed a small, plastic cup with her beak.

"Pink!" Lily called from across the room.

Claire rolled her eyes and grabbed a pink cup instead.

"You're spoiled rotten, you know that?"

As she filled up the glass with water from the reverse osmosis tap, Claire looked out the window above the sink and saw something very peculiar. A fleet of vehicles was driving down the road towards their house. With wide eyes, Claire turned to Owen.

"Someone's coming. Give me Lily."

Owen handed her their daughter, and Claire made her way to a decorative table in the hall. On the surface was a small brass statue of a bull, which Claire turned around until it clicked gently. The wall opened, and Claire snuck into a secret room with Lily. Once they were locked inside, Lily looked up at Claire with wide eyes.

"Water?"

Claire nodded.

"Soon, Lily. Soon. Be quiet for now."

Lily whimpered and buried her face in her mother's chest. Claire kissed her forehead.

"Good girl . . . Good girl . . ."

They waited for a long time. Claire stared into the darkness, holding Lily in her arms protectively. They both shrieked as the wall opened. When Claire saw that it was Owen, she mooed grumpily and placed Lily on the ground.

"What was _that_ about? Are they gone?"

Owen shook his head.

"That's just it. They're here to see you."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire stared at the strange man who was now sitting in her living room. They had invited him in, but insisted firmly that his coworkers wait outside. He was sipping his coffee casually, as though he had all the time in the world. Both Owen and Claire stared at him with anticipation. Finally, he lowered his mug.

"I work for InGen."

Claire felt her muscles grow tense.

"What do you want? Haven't you done enough damage already?"

The man gave a crooked smile.

"The company's been bleeding out the throat. We're here to make things right. You're Claire Dearing, are you not?"

Claire looked away.

"I was. I mean, I am, but why do you need me? I'm of no use to you like this."

"Your current situation is exactly the reason we decided to contact you."

Claire gulped nervously.

"How did you find out?"

The man smiled.

"People don't just disappear off the face of the Earth, Ms. Dearing. It wasn't easy to find you, but once we had the trail, things unfurled from there."

Claire wrapped her tail around her feet.

"What do you want from me?"

The man placed his coffee on the table.

"We need you to come back with us so that we can run a few tests. Your unique DNA makes you something of an asset to our company."

Claire frowned.

"Absolutely not. I'm not your guinea pig."

"With all due respect, Ms. Dearing, you are part animal," he said simply, "Your genetic makeup could do us a lot of good."

Owen uncrossed his legs and leaned forward.

"What do you plan to use it for?"

The man took a deep breath.

"The military-"

Both Claire and Owen groaned.

"Oh, not _this_ again!" Owen grumbled, "Haven't you learned your lesson? Dinosaurs are not a suitable replacement for soldiers."

"They wouldn't have to replace them if the soldiers were enhanced. Imagine a man with thicker skin, aerodynamic plates, or tail spikes. They'd fare far better in tough situations. You'd be saving lives. What's more, this research can be applied to medicine. The blood that runs through your veins is only slightly different from before. How does it manage to sustain a body so different from its former shell? These are questions we need answered, for the good of InGen and for the good of our country."

Claire stared at the man with shock.

"No . . . No, that's unethical, and I will have no part in it."

"Just consider your options for a moment," he said calmly, "You can come willingly with us and return in a few weeks, or you can risk having the whole world find out about you. We need you, Ms. Dearing. If it comes down to blackmail, so be it. It's _your_ decision."

It was then that Lily came waddling into the room. Claire turned her head and tried to nudge her back to where she came from. Lily whined angrily and slapped her tail against the ground.

"Go to your room, sweetie," Claire cooed, "This is adult talk."

The guest leaned forward in his chair and stared at Lily with fascination. Something about the way he was sizing her up sat wrong with Claire. Owen sensed it, too. He stood up very slowly, reaching for something to defend his family. The man gave an unsettling smile.

"You have a hybrid child . . ."

Claire stepped over Lily, shielding her with her body.

"Don't touch her. Don't you dare touch her."

The man chuckled quietly.

"Oh, I'm not going to hurt her."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of oats. Lily squeaked and darted out from beneath Claire's legs before she could stop her. She stood up on her hind legs and tried to reach for the treat. The man laughed.

"She has spirit. Tell you what: let me take her instead. She has more human DNA in her anyway. Makes it easier for us."

Owen grabbed a poker that was lying beside the fireplace and held it out like a sword.

"Back up."

The man sneered.

"There's no need for that. I assure you, we can offer a very generous fee . . ."

Claire lowed angrily.

"Our daughter is not for sale! Get out of our house!"

The man looked from Claire to Owen. Seeing that they weren't going to cooperate, he lifted his hands and sighed.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

With a swift motion, he scooped up Lily. As Claire prepared to charge forward, he pulled a pistol from his back pocket.

"Don't even think about it, unless you want your daughter to see your brains painting the wall."

Claire snorted and tossed her head, but backed up. Owen dropped his poker.

"Let her go," he whispered dangerously, "I'll kill you. I will."

The man shook his head.

"If you want your daughter to be safe, you'll stay where you are."

He backed up until he reached the front entranceway. Lily tried to wiggle out of his grasp, and when she couldn't, she started screaming. She reached out for Claire with tears in her eyes, sobbing loudly.

"She needs me, don't you see that she's calling to me?" Claire wept, not daring to move.

"It's only calling to you because that's what it knows to do," the man said dismissively, "It's no different from a dog on a leash."

Lily screeched and kicked her legs. She grabbed at the air, trying to get back to her mother.

"MAMA! MAMA! HELP!"

Claire wailed miserably, her face wet with tears.

"Lily! . . ."

The man waved his gun, and Claire backed up. She lowered her head and let her tears soak the carpet.

"Please . . . Don't take my daughter. She's all I have. Take me instead."

The man shifted Lily to his elbow and opened the door.

"You had your chance. I made an offer, and you turned it down. Now I'm taking what's rightfully mine. Next time, patent your creation."

As soon as he was out of the house, Owen crossed the room and knelt down beside Claire.

"Call Ellie. I'm going after her."

Claire whimpered.

"Owen, you'll be killed!"

He shook his head.

"I have a plan."

He stood up and ran to the kitchen, grabbing a fork along the way.

"Call Ellie. Hurry!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Claire ran into the spare bedroom and reached for the phone. As she did, she got a better look at the vehicles parked outside. She was surprised to see that they did not belong to InGen. This made matters even more complicated. Claire had no idea if she could negotiate with these people or not, but she decided that it would be wise to take note of her enemy's name.

The black letters on the sides of the trucks read "Biosyn".

***TSJWFEW***

Lewis Dodgson grunted as the mutant baby tried to kick his face. He opened the back doors of a cargo van and shoved her in a small kennel, slamming the door sharply. She squealed unhappily and tried to bite the metal with her freaky mouth. Dodgson slapped her away.

"Shut up! If you give us any more trouble, I'll have to tranquilize you."

The child glared at him. Obviously, she was too stupid to understand what he was saying, but she almost seemed to be reacting to his comment. He bent down and smiled at her condescendingly.

"Don't give me that look, you brainless calf. You're mine, and nothing's gonna change that."

He stood up straight and slammed the back doors one by one. Turning to his associates, he pointed to the house.

"Burn it. Make sure the cadavers are unrecognizable."

He paused.

"On second thought, shoot the mother. We'll take her body back for testing. We don't want to damage our live specimen by dissecting it."

***TSJWFEW***

As soon as Claire told Ellie what had happened, she reassured her that she would send her finest dinosaurs to deal with the issue. Claire wondered why she couldn't do it herself, but that wasn't the most pressing issue. The fleet of vehicles was starting to come to life, and Claire was dead set on pursuing them. Trouble was, a few men were running up to the house with large guns. It would have to be a quick getaway.

Claire ran through the house, making her way towards the back door.

"Owen! Owen, follow me!"

He didn't reply. Claire stomped her foot in agitation.

"Owen, please! Forget your plan and-"

Claire lifted her head as she heard a chorus of frightened screams. When she peeked out the window, she saw the armed men lying motionless in the grass. She pushed open the front door and stepped across the lawn cautiously. She saw movement to her left and wheeled around. A large dinosaur became fully visible. For a moment, Claire couldn't so much as breathe. As she turned to run, the dinosaur reached out and grabbed her, then stroked her head gently. Claire gasped in surprise, but went limp when she felt a familiar mustache brush up against her neck.

"Owen . . ."

He nodded and put her down. Claire stared up at him in shock.

"Owen, how on Earth- No, you know what, save the story for later. We need to find Lily."

***TSJWFEW***

A group of Biosyn employees circled the van that held Dodgson's precious cargo. They looked around nervously, wondering where their companions had gone to.

"I don't like this, Joe," one of them muttered, "Check on the kid, okay?"

"Why?"

"I just wanna get out of here. If she's secure, we can get a move on."

His companion rolled his eyes and opened the back doors. When he looked into the kennel, his face fall.

"It's gone."

The first man whipped around.

"No! That's impossible!"

There was no sign of the infant. As he unlatched the kennel door to examine the lock, something rushed forward and slammed it open all the way. The baby dinosaur appeared suddenly, as if by magic. It hopped out of the van and started running across the grass, leaving the dumbfounded men behind.

"It can camouflage!"

***TSJWFEW***

Dodgson sat calmly in his truck as he waited for his workers to return. He was a little miffed that they were taking so long to burn down the house, but otherwise-

He was snapped out of his daze when he saw two dinosaurs running towards the truck. Through the side mirror, he could make out the shape of a pale theropod and the pudgy mother. He jostled the gearstick and slammed his foot on the gas pedal in panic.

"GO! GO! GO!"

As he sped down the road, he saw the remainder of his fleet following his lead. The last car in the procession started to move forward, but it was yanked back by the taller dinosaur, who grabbed the rear with his teeth and claws. The herbivore slammed her head against the trunk, digging her horns into the metal. She then pulled off the door like it was a lid on a jam jar. They looked inside. Finding nothing, they proceeded to run after the next car.

"Oh, no you don't!" Dodgson growled.

Turning on cruise control, he pulled out his gun and started firing at the herbivore. When his bullets hit their mark, she screamed in pain. Hearing her distress, the second dinosaur ran forward and blocked the shots. Dodgson's gun began to click, and he threw it to the passenger's seat in fury. The herbivore had begun to charge him again, and she was gaining ground. She ran up beside the truck and lifted her head.

"Give us our daughter!" she roared.

Dodgson shook his head.

"Not a chance."

She slammed her body against the truck.

"I'll flip you over! Give me my baby!"

Dodgson reached down into his drink holder and grabbed a taser.

"It's too late! Here's one for you to remember me by, you stupid cow!"

As he reached out to zap her, the second dinosaur pushed her out of the way and took the attack, thrusting his body against the vehicle. As he did, he caused the truck to roll over. Stunned by the electricity, he grabbed the tumbling bulk, and they both rolled across the grass in a messy tangle. When Dodgson got his bearings, he saw that he was lying outside of his truck. The white dinosaur was near him. He looked badly injured.

Without missing a beat, Dodgson stood up and ran for the woods.

"This isn't over yet!" he called over his shoulder.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire ran up to Owen. He was lying motionless with deep gashes along his side. Claire could see blood glistening in the moonlight.

"Oh my god . . ."

Owen exhaled sharply, his breath kicking up a puff of dust. He lifted his head, disoriented, and focused on Claire.

"I'm here, Owen."

He leaned forward and bumped her with his snout, then turned his head to the rest of the fleet. He let out a gentle chuffing sound. Claire put her front foot on his shoulder.

"I'll find Lily, but I'm coming back for you. Hang on."

Claire thundered away, leaving a very weak Owen behind. She felt badly about abandoning him, but she didn't slow down, for Lily was waiting to be rescued. To her surprise, the vehicles slowed to a stop. She did the same, wondering if they were planning some sort of attack.

It was then that she heard a deep growl.

Turning around very slowly, Claire came face to face with a large dinosaur. She felt her heart drop as he stood up, his sail blocking out the moon. With a malevolent grin, he snaked his head around and stared directly at her.

"Hello, Claire . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Robin stumbled through the forest with her friends close behind. Ellie had instructed her to bring as many able bodies as possible to prevent some sort of catastrophe involving Claire's baby and a mysterious company. Naturally, she had invited Henry and Zara, who were her best friends next to Ellie. Of course, she hadn't told them the details of the mission, so they were getting a little bit antsy.

"Robin, I mean no offense whatsoever, but this is kind of crazy," Zara called as she struggled to squeeze through the trees, "It's terribly late, and I was in the middle of a date-"

Robin snorted.

"Oh, please! Vic can wait. This is war!"

Zara blinked.

"War? Oh, Robin. What have you gotten me into? You know I can't fight!"

Henry grunted as he stumbled over a fallen log.

"Me neither! I gave up violence when I became a father. Besides, I'm really out of shape, and I couldn't possibly hold my own in a brawl."

As Robin stepped out of the forest, she gasped.

"Henry, you might want to rephrase that statement . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire screamed in pain as the jaws of an angry spinosaurus clamped around her frill. He shook her violently, then let her drop. Dizzy from losing so much blood, Claire stumbled to the side, nearly falling over. Her assailant snatched her up again by the leg. He let her drop once more. This time, she didn't get up.

"Oh, Claire. You should have known that it would end this way. You always were the weak one."

She panted heavily, gazing at him with one eye.

"You just couldn't forget about your sister. Was it worth it? Was it worth it to lose everything you ever had in order to keep your family?"

Claire tried to stand up, but found that she couldn't. She lowed quietly and went limp.

"It's over, Claire. You've lost. Family means nothing. You should have put your work first," he hissed, "I told you this would happen. Do you remember? I said that if you didn't let them go, you'd only be holding onto your weakness. You laughed. You didn't believe me. Now it's my turn to laugh."

Claire winced as he placed his foot on her side. She could feel his breath on her neck. He was getting ready for the final blow.

"It's such a pity you ended up this way. You had real potential. Now, you're going to die like an animal . . ."

Claire closed her eyes, bracing herself for the killing bite. Instead of being attacked, however, she felt his foot slide down from her belly. He had noticed something. Claire opened her eyes and saw Owen limping towards them. He snarled at the spinosaurus, who snarled back. Claire lifted her head slightly and tried to speak, but her voice came out in a whisper.

"Owen, no . . . You'll be killed . . ."

She felt her strength draining from her. She was fading fast. The last thing she saw before she went unconscious was the two dinosaurs rushing towards each other.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen slammed into the spinosaurus with a force that would be enough to crush a creature of smaller proportions. His wounds stung painfully, but it was enough to keep him alert. He snapped at the monster's neck, trying to get a good grip. The spinosaur raked his teeth across Owen's back. With a ferocious roar, Owen slashed at the monster's sail. Screaming in pain, the spinosaurus backed off. That was it. That was the weak point.

Owen prepared to attack again, unlatching his jaw. After a beat, he changed his mind. Something told him that exposing his jaw was a bad idea. With a ferocious growl, he charged at the spinosaurus again.

The two dinosaurs snapped and slashed and bit and bashed until they were both exhausted. Weakened from his previous injuries, Owen felt his vision swimming. It dawned on him that he wasn't going to make it. Swaying woozily, he shook his head and charged his opponent one last time. If he was going down, he was taking the monster with him.

Suddenly, a second spinosaurus pushed into the battle. Owen stepped back in surprise, letting the new dinosaur lead the fight. A yellow allosaur joined him, giving a valiant cry.

"PEEPEETSOOH!"

Owen stumbled away from the fighting dinosaurs, utterly spent. He felt a pair of leathery wings wrap around his waist, and began to thrash around weakly.

"Shhh. It's me. Don't panic."

Recognizing Zara's voice, Owen went limp. He looked up at her and saw that she was holding a pair of massive glasses in her beak. He gave her a questioning look.

"I'm supposed to be taking care of these while he fights. Come with me. Claire's waiting."

Owen leaned against her for support. They made their way back to the deck of the cabin, where Claire was starting to wake up. She looked around drowsily and groaned.

"Lily . . . Where's Lily? . . ."

Owen was about to ask Zara if she could find his daughter, but he realized that she would not understand him. He nudged her and pointed to Claire. Zara cocked her head.

"She's going to be okay. She just lost a lot of blood."

Owen shook his head. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a growl.

"I don't understand you, Owen."

He dug his toes into the ground with frustration.

 _Lily. I'm asking if you can find Lily._

He didn't have to wait for a response, however, because he heard his daughter calling out to him. He turned his head and stared out into the forest. Lily was running towards him, utterly panicked. Claire saw her, too. Struggling to get to her feet, she stepped down from the deck shakily and limped over to her daughter.

Without warning, Dodgson sprinted out from behind the house and snatched up their child. Claire mooed in fear, and Owen pulled himself out of Zara's grasp. Dodgson put his hand on Lily's frill.

"Come closer, and I'll snap her neck."

Claire and Owen stopped walking.

"You will let my troops go," Dodgson hissed, "Tell your dinosaur friends to fall back."

Claire started breathing rapidly.

"Give her back. Give Lily back."

Dodgson sneered.

"Can't. You've proven yourself to be a nuisance. It would be foolish to let you believe you've won. She's coming with me."

As he said this, he dug his fingers into Lily's belly. She squealed, then frowned deeply. Turning her head to face Dodgson, she let out a growling hum, like an angry cat. As he turned her head back to her parents, the hum grew louder.

"Hrmrmrm . . ."

Dodgson squeezed her again.

"Quiet, brat!"

Claire's eyes went wide as sharp teeth slipped out of Lily's lips. Her fingernails curled into claws, and her back sprouted quills and spikes. As her skin grew pale, she turned to face Dodgson and roared. His eyes went wide.

"What the-"

Suddenly, Lily whipped her head around and clamped her teeth around his arm. Dodgson shrieked and tried to shake her off, but she held on tight. Finally, as he whipped his arm up and down, the triple hybrid Lily was flung into the air. She changed back to her former self as she flew, screaming in terror. Claire ran forward and slid across the ground on her back. Lily landed on her belly, unharmed. Claire reached forward and gave her a tight hug. Lily squeaked happily.

Meanwhile, Dodgson's wound had begun to worsen. His veins were growing dark with some kind of poison, and the edges of the laceration were curling up like burning parchment. He screamed in pain and ran away, holding his injured arm.

"This isn't over! You can't keep your family safe forever! I'll be back for the calf someday, and I _will_ get what I want!"

They watched in exhaustion as he jumped into an abandoned truck and sped away. If he _was_ coming back, it wouldn't be for a very long time.

***TSJWFEW***

An hour later, Claire lay on the lawn with Owen, who was still a dinosaur. She wrapped a bandage around his arm slowly. He winced in pain, then grumbled passively.

"You're really stupid, you know that?"

He made a soft chuffing sound.

"You could have been killed. Then where would we be?"

Owen nuzzled her side gently, speaking in a language that she could not understand. She placed her front foot on his snout, stroking him gently.

"I love you too much to let you die. Next time, don't risk your life to save me, okay?"

Owen rested his head on her back, purring gently. She licked the wounds on his side. Surprised, he blinked and cocked his head.

"I know it's not sanitary, Owen, but heaven knows, you've been licked before."

He waggled his eyebrows cheekily.

"That's _exactly_ what I mean. Just don't expect this all the time. Understand?"

Owen smiled and rubbed his nose against her side. He made a series of growling sounds. Claire cocked her head.

"What?"

"He says that he wishes he could do the same for you," the non-evil spinosaurus said as he approached them, "But he's afraid to, because- don't take this the wrong way- you would probably taste very delicious right now."

Claire gave Owen a sassy look, then turned to the spinosaurus.

"Any sign of Dodgson?"

He shook his head.

"He ran off with my evil counterpart. We captured a few grunts, but they know nothing of his plan. We've called off the search for now. There's no point in wasting energy."

Claire nodded.

"It's been a long night for everyone."

"At least _you_ didn't have to fight yourself," he muttered, "I'm going to be tasting my own blood all night. I don't know how to explain this to my family."

Claire sighed.

"How's June, by the way?"

"Better. Still not adjusted, but we're getting there. She misses you."

Claire smiled sadly.

"I'll have to visit more often. Once this whole mess is cleared up, that is . . ."

Right on cue, Ellie stepped out of a portal with her grandmother following close behind. She noticed Claire, and jogged over briskly.

"Did they get away?"

Claire nodded. Ellie snapped her fingers.

"Damn. Sorry I couldn't come sooner. I was busy with something."

Claire couldn't help but notice the reproachful look that Elkay gave her granddaughter.

"Now that I'm here, we should probably discuss additional security measures," Ellie continued, "Tonight could have been a disaster. We got lucky. It's best if we make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Claire nodded.

"We'll do anything to keep Lily safe. What did you have in mind?"

Ellie took a deep breath.

"A spell. I can create a net around your house that repels people with ill intent. Only your friends will be allowed to pass."

"That sounds reasonable. Is there a catch?"

Ellie looked away.

"In order to keep the spell going, you will have to make sure that neither you nor Lily nor Owen goes past the perimeter. As long as you're in this world, you won't be able to leave the ranch."

Claire nodded slowly.

"And what if we go to the other world? Couldn't we just live on Isla Nublar?"

Ellie shook her head.

"Vivian and Karen live in this world. If you disappear off the face of the Earth, Dodgson will go after those who are closest to you. If you choose to go through with this plan, I can set up secondary nets around them: ones that will travel as they do."

Claire closed her eyes.

"This isn't practical. What about Lily's education? She's supposed to be going to school on Isla Nublar."

Ellie pulled a paper out of her pocket and folded it in half. She licked the edge and tore it apart. Claire cocked her head curiously as she held out the two pieces.

"These are our worlds. The Park Universe and the World Universe. Whenever I open a portal, our dimensions overlap."

She placed one paper on top of the other. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out a marker.

"If I draw a circle to represent the force field . . ."

She made a circle on the first page and pulled them apart, revealing that the ink had seeped through.

"Both worlds are covered. Your land is actually larger than Isla Nublar, so you can roam freely on the island."

Claire sighed.

"Even so, that limits our scope significantly. Not that I was about to strut down Times Square . . ."

Ellie smiled.

"That's where things get interesting. Suppose I were to also build a permanent portal: one that would allow you access to anywhere you can imagine. You'd be free to travel the universe, as long as you don't roam outside of your ranch's hectares."

Claire cocked her head.

"How far is that?"

"Far," Ellie affirmed, "Your property is very large."

Claire nodded.

"This sounds like a good deal. Just to be clear, our friends in this world-"

"-would be able to reach you with ease," Ellie finished, "If someone seeks you out with the intent to harm your family, they will find themselves disoriented by magic. They won't be able to locate you, bar none."

Claire rubbed her chin.

"Does it keep out salespeople?"

Ellie shook her head.

"Not unless they plan to murder you."

Claire lifted her head.

"This sounds like our best option. Owen, you in?"

He nodded. Claire turned back to Ellie.

"We'll do it. Cast the spell."

Ellie did as she was told. The shimmering dome that crossed the sky was beautiful, and yet there was something sinister about it. Claire couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could have sworn that she'd seen this kind of magic before. It was only when she'd gone to bed, after the forcefield had become invisible, that she realized what she had been subconsciously dreading.

Their ranch was now very similar to the stegoceratops valley.


	73. A Cleansing Of Blood

Elkay was furious. From the moment Ellie had been appointed as Queen, there had been no doubt that she would be the most amazing Lord to date. The past few months had completely contradicted that hypothesis. More than anything, Elkay wanted Ellie to be a good Queen, and not for entirely selfish reasons, as was usually the case. Ellie had been virtuous and sensible before meeting her grandmother. Not a day went by that Elkay didn't question whether she'd ruined Ellie by being a part of her life. She knew that Alan, Robin, and a few others were starting to speculate about it as well. Ellie wasn't the same as before, and it was more than likely that it was Elkay's fault.

Then again, Ellie was predisposed to failure. Elkay would have liked to believe that her dear granddaughter was untainted by her genes, but it simply wasn't so. And then there was the damned snake that had struck her. The mere existence of the creature was Elkay's fault. That made three ways she had ruined Ellie's life. That, and she had put her through crazy escapades before they became chummy. That was four.

There was no easy way to admit that Ellie was going sideways. For a while, Elkay had been in deep denial, assuming that her developing flaws were simply the result of stress from the unexpected influence that Neithhotep had forced upon the story. But it wasn't. Ellie had control now, yet she wasn't acting responsibly. She just narrated like . . . well, like Elkay had. And there was another funny thing: Ellie kept claiming that she was trying to help Claire by putting her through so much shit, but anyone familiar with narration (ie Elkay) would immediately see through her white lies. Elkay had justified her own actions in a similar way when Ellie was the protagonist. Now, she had passed her questionable morals on to her successor. That wasn't a good sign.

Elkay's mind was filled with terrible premonitions of Ellie's fall from grace. She could imagine her manipulating others to suit her narrative's needs, staging elaborate battles by making villains of her peers. Why not? She was basically weaving an intricate web of lies already. It was only a matter of time before she went full out crazy.

Maybe she already had.

Cassowaries wouldn't just show up out of nowhere, especially in Asterpara. The loose feathers by the volcano didn't belong to any bird, never mind a Cassowary. Ellie was lying. She was lying because the truth was too hard to take.

Elkay rested her chin dismally on her egg. They had moved it to a special incubation chamber (by Ellie's orders, of course). Although it was wasteful to open the lid too often, Elkay found comfort in touching the green ovoid.

It reminded her of Asterpara.

It reminded her of home.

Jurassic Park could never truly hold her heart. Her spirit soared with the dragons from the land of the Snow Deer to the tropical forests where glowing caterpillars made their cocoons. Isla Nublar was not her home because none of her friends lived there. None except Ellie. But she was starting to become a very bad friend indeed.

Ellie entered the room at the precise moment this thought crossed Elkay's mind. Her timing was always convenient in how inconvenient it was. Elkay lifted her head with exhaustion and looked at her granddaughter, her ears hanging limply. She didn't even bother to say hello. She wished that Ellie would ask her what was wrong, but she already knew, and so she wouldn't ask. They'd just keep playing the same stupid games over and over again until the end of time, because there was no escaping the endless cycle of deceit and hurt.

"Too sad to write?"

Elkay shook her head.

"Can you start, then?" Ellie pressed.

Elkay nodded weakly.

"You can stop with this self-pity thing anytime, you know," Ellie said breezily, "You're only making yourself look bad."

Elkay took a deep breath.

"I'll write. I know it helps you. Just don't forget that you have a world to run."

Ellie snuffed.

"How could I forget something like that?"

"It's easier than you think."

Ellie frowned.

"Alright, I'm not going to suffer through your passive-aggressive bullshit. You have a story to write. We're backtracking a little bit, because we need to find out why Henry Wu is a spinosaurus."

"He fell on a staff."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Very funny. I mean the _other_ Henry Wu. From Jurassic World."

Elkay nodded.

"I know the one."

Ellie marched away briskly.

"Don't disappoint me."

Elkay didn't flinch when the door slammed. She had been expecting it. With a silent breath, she stood up, closed the lid of the incubator, and moved dismally towards the window. A toucan descended from the sky and landed on her tail as she held it out.

"Good evening, Master Elkay," he cawed.

"Good evening, Moku-Pa. I know you're upset because I haven't been paying much attention to you, but I am about to delegate a task that may be of interest."

The toucan cocked his head.

"What task is that?"

"The Henry Wu of Jurassic World carries with him a piece of paper with a single word written on it. I need you to discover the significance of this word."

The toucan nodded.

"I will gladly do it. What is the word?"

"Sierra."

***TSJWFEW***

Moku-Pa had known Elkay for a relatively long time. He was of Asterparan descent, but they had met in the world of Jurassic Park. Back then, there was only the novel canon. On the day they first bumped into each other, Elkay was a raptor. Moku-Pa had been puzzled by her behavior. She was carrying an egg to the river, which didn't seem normal. He had watched in fascination as she wrote "George" on the shell in permanent marker, then let the egg drift down the stream to an unknown destination. It had eventually been found by two humans after the universe shifted canons, but at the time, there was no way of guessing what would come to pass.

On the day they met, Moku-Pa had sworn his loyalty to Elkay, who had revealed that she was, in fact, the Queen of Asterpara. If he had to guess, Moku-Pa would affirm that her eventual downfall had been caused by the events that took place earlier that day, which she refused to talk about. She was traumatized by it.

There was nothing odd about Asterparans having several children with different partners, but the way Elkay went about it seemed to connote a deep-rooted problem. From the moment she created the Overworld, Elkay had been less than reliable, and her unfortunate encounter only reaffirmed that something was terribly wrong. Even so, Moku-Pa trusted his Queen, although she assigned him questionable missions.

Now, years later, she came to him with a new request. This one seemed reasonable. Well, reasonable in nature, at least, for it would be a difficult mystery to solve. Moku-Pa therefore called upon his dilophosaurus friend, Dixie, to help him crack the case. They traveled to the Jurassic World, flying across the ocean to the almost-forgotten park. Carrying Dixie by the tail, Moku-Pa scanned the island with sharp eyes.

"It's very much possible that Sierra is the name of a woman," he speculated, "It seems too obvious, though. What does that leave us with?"

"Could be the name of a toboggan," Dixie sassed.

"I doubt it," Moku-Pa replied, playing along with her jest, "He doesn't seem like the sledding type. Not really a people-person either, which leads me to believe that it's not a long-lost love."

"Don't rule that option out so quickly. Sometimes, the easiest answers are- Hang on. What's that?"

Dixie pointed to a large lagoon. Near the edge, an emaciated animal was resting its head on the concrete. The rest of its body was floating pitifully in the water. Moku-Pa folded his wings and prepared for a landing. As they came into contact with the ground (rather noisily), the creature lifted her head weakly and gave them an empty stare. She closed her eyes and let out a quiet rumble.

'Sad, isn't it?' she whispered in her own language, 'You'd never believe that I used to be someone important. Now, I'm dying, and I will not be remembered.'

Moku-Pa stepped forward, his talons brushing against the rough concrete unpleasantly.

"Someone important?"

The creature nodded.

'In another life, I had a name. I worked here. People knew who I was.'

"What happened?" Dixie asked.

'Henry Wu happened.'

Moku-Pa leaned forward with interest.

"Henry Wu? You knew him?"

The creature nodded.

'We didn't get along. That's why he decided to get rid of me.'

Moku-Pa bobbed his head in excitement.

"Do you know what 'Sierra' means?" he asked eagerly, "He carries a note-"

'I can't help you,' she moaned dolefully, 'My previous life is all but lost to me. It's like a dream. My memories have merged with my imagination. I wouldn't know what's real and what's not.'

Moku-Pa sighed.

"That's unfortunate. Thank you for being honest, and I'm sorry for whatever it is that led you here."

The creature swallowed. Moku-Pa noticed that her throat seemed dry.

'I don't know if this information is of any use to you, but he dropped into my tank a long time ago. He wasn't human.'

Moku-Pa hopped closer to her, his interest rekindled.

"Do you know how he came to be a spinosaurus?"

'No. He fell from a helicopter, changing along the way. I attacked him, but he managed to escape. Later, I saw something standing near the edge of my tank, but when I dragged it in, I realized that it was not him. I let the second creature go. I doubt it survived: I did some serious damage before I realized that I was mistaken.'

Dixie rubbed her chin.

"I think I know who you're talking about. Was it a white dinosaur?"

'It was white, but it wasn't a dinosaur. Not like any dinosaur I've encountered, anyway.'

The creature shuddered and closed her eyes.

'I think I'll be dead soon.'

Dixie put her paw over her mouth.

"Is there anything we can do?"

'No. It's better this way. I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. The last few years of my life have been unhappy, so my luck is due to change.'

She took a raspy breath.

'I think this has been my punishment. In my past life, I made many mistakes. I devoted myself to a heartless cause. That's what it all comes down to, in the end. Heart. A heart can never be satisfied if it stands alone. I thought my work would improve the world. Perhaps it has, in some ways. I only wish that I had taken the time to get to know the world I was trying to save. Maybe then, I could have held on.'

Her breaths grew shallower.

'It must have been easy for him to claim that I'd disappeared. There wouldn't have been anyone who wished to see me. He said that I retired, and they believed him. No one tried to contact me after that. They had no reason to. I should have given them a reason . . .'

She coughed weakly.

'I won't last much longer. I must ask you to leave. I have very little time to think, but there are some things I still need to sort out.'

Moku-Pa and Dixie gave small bows, then made their way into the jungle. They didn't speak for a long time. They were visibly shaken from the encounter. Finally, Dixie let out a sigh of regret and turned her eyes to the sky.

"Why do bad things happen to innocent people? It's so sad. She seemed terribly unhappy."

Moku-Pa nodded.

"The poor thing must have had a difficult life. She seemed tormented by something. I wonder if what she said was true."

"That Henry Wu dropped from a helicopter?" Dixie asked, "It's possible."

Moku-Pa sighed.

"It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. How did he change?"

"PMR?" Dixie suggested.

"Possibly, but how did he die? There are no spinosaurs on this island that could have killed him."

"The original virus has many secrets," Dixie said softly, "He might have been the exception to the rule."

***TSJWFEW***

 _Wu turned a large claw around in his hands. He hadn't had much time to clear his desk, and this was one of the few relics he had managed to save. Moonlight danced across the fossil as the helicopter's rotors shadowed the scene. The loud thumping was nothing but a gentle hum in Wu's mind. He had more important things to think about._

***TSJWFEW***

"Didn't Owen experience the PMR, once?" Dixie asked.

"Yes. As I recall, he was struck by lightning twice in a row. The first time was what changed him, then he was killed by the second shock. Being electrocuted while changing must trigger the PMR somehow."

"But Owen's powers are special. The tiger gave them to him, not Elkay."

Moku-Pa perched himself on Dixie's left crest.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that it's entirely different. We'll have to ask Elkay for a catalogue of the side effects to be sure, though. While we're at it, we'll ask our own Henry if he knows about 'Sierra'. First, we'd better make sure that our examination of this park is thorough. We might be able to glean some information from our surroundings."

***TSJWFEW***

 _Wu didn't remember who he was. He was furious. Why? Who knew. Somehow, he had lost his mind, and he was ready to take it out on the world._

 _There was another dinosaur who shared his sentiments. She was badly injured when he found her. He thought he recognized her from somewhere, but he wasn't sure._

 _'You . . . What are you?' she asked._

 _'I might wonder the same thing about you.'_

 _'Are you empty?'_

 _Wu was puzzled by the question._

 _'Empty?'_

 _'Empty. The others are empty. That's why they can't be allowed to live. I have to end them, because they are empty and I am not. They are beneath me. They have to die.'_

 _'I understand. You want to make them pay for what they've done. It's fair.'_

 _'It is. It's fair. It's right.'_

***TSJWFEW***

Dixie was intimidated by the dark jungle. She had lived on Isla Nublar for a very long time (in fact, she was the first dilophosaurus to be hatched), but she had grown accustomed to the civilized community that Ellie had founded. _This_ Isla Nublar was untamed. Aside from the infrastructure, there was very little to suggest that the island was populated by civilized beings. Well, civilized relatively speaking. Dixie had encountered monstrous humans on several occasions. Brutality knew no species. When a barbaric person found themselves unrestrained, the results would often be disastrous.

***TSJWFEW***

 _They killed together. Working as a team, Wu and the white dinosaur slaughtered a stegosaurus. At first, Wu was glad to have an outlet for his anger, but something in the back of his mind was screaming for him to stop. It was as if there was another version of him beneath the layer of his current consciousness. It annoyed him. Nevertheless, he ignored it._

 _'Come on. We'll kill another,' his partner said._

 _Wu sniffed the carcass._

 _'I'm hungry.'_

 _'Doesn't matter. We have to keep going until we find someone who isn't empty.'_

 _'Why?'_

 _'We need to find them.'_

 _Wu snarled._

 _'You never make any sense. Just shut up and let me eat.'_

 _He dipped his head down and started tearing chunks of meat off of the carcass, but a dangerous look from his partner made him freeze._

 _'Are you empty?'_

 _Wu growled._

 _'You know me better than that.'_

 _'You don't think it's important to find someone who isn't empty. You don't understand.'_

 _'I'm not empty.'_

 _'You're like the others, aren't you? You're exactly like the small ones. They said they wanted to be free, but they chose to let themselves be controlled. They were empty. So are you.'_

 _'I'm not empty!'_

 _The white dinosaur turned her attention to the carcass, suddenly distracted for no obvious reason. She ran her claws through the bleeding flesh and held them in front of her face. The blood dripped down from her paw slowly._

 _'What we are doing is beautiful. We need to continue. It's the only way. The world is not pure. We will fill the emptiness.'_

***TSJWFEW***

"Do you think he's crazy?" Dixie asked as they strolled through the abandoned lab.

"Who? Wu?" Moku-Pa asked, "Of course. He's disillusioned. When a person has no one to hold onto, they lose a part of themselves. That's why I imagine the PMR must have been rough for him. He had nothing to bring him back."

They rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. The room they had entered was an absolute mess. There were broken vials and shattered beakers all over the floor. The lab had obviously been the stage for a brutal fight. The mess, however, was not the most unsettling part of the scene. There was a large dinosaur lying on the ground.

She was dead.

***TSJWFEW***

 _Wu was starting to remember who he was. The dinosaur had brought him to the lab to destroy any trace of the humans. As he took in his surroundings, Wu realized that he knew where he was. Slowly, the endless anger that defined him began to slip away, and his true persona resurfaced. His partner did not notice his inner turmoil._

 _'These liquids make fire. We can burn it all.'_

 _Wu held his head with his paws. He felt like he was regaining consciousness after being in a coma._

 _'No . . . No, don't destroy it,' he whispered._

 _'Are you becoming empty?' she snarled._

 _Wu growled._

 _'It's you who's empty. Destruction will not make the world a better place. You can't hope to purge everything that displeases you. Even if you did, you'd be left with no real purpose.'_

 _'Purpose? We have no purpose!'_

 _'I do.'_

 _'YOU'RE WRONG!'_

***TSJWFEW***

"Do you suppose he killed her?" Dixie whispered.

"He must have. But why?"

Dixie crossed the room, her head hovering close to the ground. She picked up a broken vial and turned it around in her claws.

"Sierra. This one says 'Sierra'."

Moku-Pa fluttered over and grabbed the receptacle with his talons. Sure enough, there was a label with the mysterious name.

"What does it mean?" Dixie asked.

Moku-Pa shrugged.

"It says that the DNA that was stored in here was a mix of baryonyx and suchomimus. He was planning to make a hybrid. A very boring hybrid."

He tossed the vial to the side.

"I guess that's it, then. Sierra means nothing at all."

Dixie shook her head.

" _To us_."

Moku-Pa gazed at her pensively.

"Maybe we should go. Somehow, I don't feel comfortable doing this."

Dixie didn't reply. With a heavy sigh, Moku-Pa landed on her shoulder. As they exited the building, Dixie wiped a tear from her cheek.

"It was important to him. We may never know why, but he held onto the idea of Sierra. He must have killed the Indominus to protect his dream."

"But his dream was destroyed."

"I guess we know why he returned to Biosyn."

"Why?"

"He believed that he no longer had a purpose."

Moku-Pa closed his eyes.

"Can we say for certain that we ever have a purpose?"

Dixie looked out at the setting sun.

"I'd rather not think about it. Just like Sierra, it's a mystery that is better left unsolved."


	74. Ski Trip

Claire was feeling okay. The past few days had been neither good nor bad, but they weren't exactly boring, either. Lily kept Claire and Owen busy, so there was hardly a moment of relaxation. It had been ages since Claire had had the time to pick up a book, and she sometimes missed the days when she could shut herself away in her office and be alone. Her job at Jurassic World could be hectic, yes, but more often than not, she was able to find an excuse to keep people away. Then again, she had mostly been keeping Owen away, which in hindsight was a very poor decision indeed. Thinking back to that time, Claire could see just how far she'd come. She was warmer, friendlier, and more sympathetic than ever before. She could hardly believe that she'd changed so much, but then again, she had _changed_. It was surprising that she'd ever had hair or lips or fingers. She wasn't even sure she remembered what it was like to be human. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because Claire somewhat enjoyed being a dinosaur. She now used her tail so naturally that one would think she'd been born with it. She was quite skilled at picking up large objects, moving furniture, and even whacking things with her thagomizer. She couldn't count how many times she'd given Owen a gentle squeeze with her tail as she walked by. He seemed to like it. And that was another aspect of her new self: Claire had found a way to fit Owen into her life. Before, she would have been embarrassed to be caught in the same room as him, but now . . .

Claire felt very stupid for ever turning Owen down. She must have been crazy, or else completely blind. How could she have ever doubted someone so kind and sweet and attractive and loyal and gentle and attractive and sensitive and attractive and charming and attractive and attractive and attractive . . .

Claire moaned and rolled over.

"Owen, I think I'm going into heat!" she slurred.

He zipped up the stairs at a breakneck speed.

"You sure?"

Claire laughed sassily.

"That was fast."

Owen ran his hand down her frill.

"I figured we could have some alone-time, since Zara is looking after Lily today."

Claire leaned forward and kissed him. They didn't part for a long time. When they did, Claire gave a quiet moo.

"I'm so happy . . ."

"Glad to hear it."

Claire rubbed her cheek against the top of Owen's head.

"You're happy too, right?"

"Happier than I've ever been in my life!" he affirmed, "I never thought I'd be this successful."

Claire giggled.

"You think marrying a dinosaur counts as success?"

"Marrying Claire Dearing counts as success. Especially when I have friends and family to listen to me brag about it."

Claire laughed and moved in for another kiss. As Owen clung to her neck, she rolled backwards and let him perch himself on her belly. She rested her chin on his shoulder as his hands began to wander. She nipped his ear gently and smiled.

"This is what I thought it would be like."

"What?" he asked distractedly.

"Being normal. Having a life. This is what I imagined. This is what I wanted. It's even better than I expected."

Owen kissed her neck.

"I'm glad you think so."

Claire wagged her tail.

"I mean, I know we're not technically normal, since I'm a dinosaur, but that's all just background noise now. I think I like things the way they are."

Owen nodded.

"Good, good. Do you mind swinging your tail around? . . ."

Claire rolled her eyes and moved her tail so that he could reach it. He let go of her body and clung to it like a barnacle.

"You know, if I could do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing," Claire said quietly, "Well, maybe I would have saved the stegoceratopses . . . Would that mean that I wouldn't have had Lily? I know it's awful to say, but I wouldn't trade her for all the-"

Claire went limp.

"Okay, I lost my train of thought . . ."

"You in heat?"

"Yes," Claire slobbered, trying her best to keep her tongue in her mouth.

"Cool."

"Cool."

After a beat, they pounced upon each other.

***TSJWFEW***

After a magical afternoon, Claire and Owen rested outside in the grass. They watched the birds swooping down to catch flies in the meadow, darting across a lazy sky. Claire was lying on her side with Owen in her arms. He chewed on the end of a long blade of grass. Claire chewed on grass as well, but for a different reason. She swallowed the vegetation and sighed.

"God, I'm happy. I'm happy and I don't even know why."

Owen grinned.

"Could it have something to do with the last few hours?"

Claire grinned and pushed him away playfully.

"Smartass."

She stood up and stretched herself out like a cat. Giving a wide yawn, she clicked her beak a couple of times and started grazing. Owen leaned against her as she did, moving every time she took a step forward. Eventually, when Claire was full, she swallowed her last mouthful of grass and glanced at the portal machine that Ellie had built. Suddenly, she felt a whole lot less content.

"Owen . . . Do you get a funny feeling about this contraption?"

He looked at the futuristic door and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Kind of. But as long as Lily's safe, I can put up with this uneasiness."

Claire sighed.

"I guess we learned one thing from using it."

"What's that?"

"No one on Isla Nublar wants to harm our family."

"How can you tell?"

"If they did, they'd be wandering around aimlessly every time we opened the portal."

Owen stared into the distance.

"Do you suppose they've tried to come back? The people from Biosyn, I mean."

Claire nodded.

"Undoubtedly. But as long as they don't succeed, I'm happy."

Owen turned to the device. He walked around it slowly, holding his hands behind his back.

"I guess there's really no reason for us to be afraid of it. It'll be useful once Lily starts going to school . . ."

Claire nodded.

"I hope it isn't too difficult for her. She'll be the only herbivore in her class."

Owen ran his hand down the side of the doorway.

"You know, now that this is built, we ought to be using it. Maybe we should take a vacation before summer ends."

Claire smiled.

"I'm more of a winter vacation person, myself. My family used to go skiing all the time . . ."

Owen looked up excitedly.

"Let's do it! Let's go skiing! I'm sure Ellie can arrange something for us. We'll invite Karen, too."

Claire beamed.

"Yeah . . . _Yeah_ , that could be fun. We'll have to find a sitter for Lily . . ."

"Done. I'll call Barry."

". . . and someone to fill in for me while I'm away . . ."

"Ellie can cover your job for a while."

Claire smiled.

"Perfect. This could work . . . Actually, it _will_ work. We're going skiing! Woohoo!"

***TSJWFEW***

"I'm doing _WHAT_?!" Elkay barked.

"Keeping an eye on the gang while they ski," Ellie muttered as she packed a suitcase, "I'll be busy with other things."

Elkay tugged on her ears in distress.

"But I HATE skiing!"

Ellie handed her a toque.

"You don't actually have to ski with them. Just hover nearby and make sure nothing bad happens."

Elkay whined like a puppy.

"That's a _terrible_ idea! I can't interact with those neurotypical nutjobs! I'm going to screw something up, I just know it!"

Ellie frowned.

"Don't be difficult. This will be a good learning experience."

"That's just code for 'it's going to suck'."

Ellie crossed her arms.

"Come on. Help me out, here. I can't do this alone."

Elkay gulped.

"It's not just about interacting with them. I wanted to spend time with you."

"Why?"

"I was planning on leaving soon. I want to take another hiatus from being myself in order to sort out some personal issues."

Ellie quirked her eyebrow.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Only two decades, maybe less."

Ellie laughed.

"You can't do that."

"You're not the boss of me!" Elkay snapped.

"No, I mean, you can't do it because you have a child on the way."

Elkay's ears went limp.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. I don't suppose you-"

"No."

Elkay shrugged.

"Meh, I didn't think so. It was worth a shot, anyway, since you seem to adopt every adorable orphan who crosses your path."

"I'll take that as a compliment," a third voice chimed in.

A raptor with bright blue feathers strutted into the room. Ellie smiled and gave him a hug.

"Hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?"

"I don't need a reason to visit my mother," he chirped, "But in all seriousness, there's a nasty bug going around Raptor Valley, and we need your help."

Ellie nodded.

"I'll head down soon."

"Or you could just wave your hands and make it better," Elkay suggested.

"I'm not going to be lazy about it," Ellie retorted.

Elkay coughed noisily to conceal her next remark.

"ARCK! Worstgodever. ARCK!"

She cleared her throat.

"Hm. I guess I'm coming down with something, too."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. You have a bad case of hypocr-itis."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen had told a teensy fib. He didn't really know how to ski, exactly. He had never been able to afford ski trips. Hell, he couldn't afford _skis_. Even so, he wanted to make Claire happy, and he figured he couldn't look more awkward than a hybrid dinosaur as far as winter sports were concerned.

Speaking of awkward, one of the dragons (the one without makeup) was sitting beside him in the van that was headed up to the lodge (which Ellie had built with magic or something). She wasn't a dragon now, but rather, a very unimpressive girl. She was playing games on her phone, utterly disinterested in the people around her. Owen cleared his throat and attempted to make pleasant conversation.

"So, how long have you been-"

She held up her finger.

"Not interested unless you're shirtless."

Owen blinked rapidly. He was glad that Claire was riding in the back of the truck, or else she would have pummeled the non-dragon to dust. Giving up on conversing with the girl, Owen turned to Lowery, who was in the passenger's seat.

"Are you a good skier?"

Lowery shook his head.

"I'm going to stay on the Bunny Hill with Karen and the boys. Gray is afraid of ski lifts, and Zach is trying to learn how to snowboard to impress a girl. I'm not actually going to ski, myself. I'll just watch."

Owen cocked his head.

"Shouldn't you try?"

Lowery laughed.

"That's a terrible idea."

Owen shrugged.

"I dunno. It can't be _that_ hard, can it?"

Owen thought he saw the dragon-girl smiling. He didn't have time to think about it, because the van slowed to a stop. The driver undid his seatbelt.

"Alright. Everybody out."

Owen got out of the truck. He marched to the back to see how Claire had fared during the trip. He was alarmed to discover that she had icicles hanging from her horns. He hopped up on the truck and caressed her face.

"Oh, Clairebear . . ."

She laughed.

"Owen, I'm fine. I wanted to feel the wind in my face."

He brushed the frost from her crest.

"Aren't you cold?"

Claire smiled and grabbed her belly.

"Owen, with a body like this, I could survive an ice age."

Owen gulped.

"Claire, don't-"

She wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.

"Owen, sometimes I think you get too protective. I can take a joke."

"Yeah, but when _you_ make them, I worry."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"I thought you were supposed to be the relaxed one."

Over by the other car, Karen called out to Claire.

"Hey, slowpoke! Do you plan to get any skiing in before 2030?"

Claire hopped down from the truck.

"Watch it, Karen, or you'll be eating my snow!"

"And _you'll_ be seeing a lot of my rear, Claire!"

"Only because I'll be kicking it!"

Claire laughed and turned to Owen.

"We're aggressive skiers."

"I noticed."

The driver carried their skis (courtesy of Ellie as well) up to the lodge. Owen followed, slightly nervous. He had assumed that skiing would be an easy feat, but what if he was wrong? It was too late to back down now.

"Hey," the dragon-girl said as she elbowed him, "Do you need any magical assistance? I can tell that you're not familiar with this whole 'skiing' thing."

Owen shook his head.

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

She smiled deviously.

"Let me at least get you to the top of the hill," she cooed, "Getting on the lift is the hard part."

"Really?" Owen asked uncertainly.

"Mhm. It's all smooth sailing after that . . ."

"Well, alright," Owen said, "I guess I could let you help me get up the mountain."

"Perfect."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen should have known better than to trust a dragon. When he reached the top of the hill, the steepness of the run nearly made him faint. He looked down the mountain with constricted pupils as Claire and Karen scooted up to him.

"This looks like a black diamond run," Claire speculated, "It's going to be difficult on my first try."

She lifted one of her stegoceratops-sized skis to emphasize her point. Owen smiled nervously and inched backwards.

"Yeah, maybe we'd better try something easier, like the Bunny Hill."

Karen snorted.

"Are you kidding? There's only a certain amount of time I get to spend away from the boys. I'm not going to waste it."

Claire nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll take it slow and see what happens."

Karen smiled.

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that to make yourself feel better about being a slowpoke?"

Claire scoffed.

"As if! Bring it on, sister!"

Owen went rigid as they zipped down the hill, leaving him behind. He stood staring at them with his knees shaking for a while, then gulped.

"It's probably not as steep as it looks . . ."

He inched forward. As soon as his skis began to slide across the snow, Owen leaned backwards in panic. He dug his poles into the ground, doing a very awkward backbend. Gathering up all of his courage, he pushed himself upright and took a deep breath.

"For Claire . . . For Claire . . . For Claire . . ."

His skis teetered over the ridge. He closed his eyes, leaned forward, and lifted his poles. After a few seconds, Owen found himself screaming at the top of his lungs. He spread out his arms and legs like a starfish as he sped down the run. He could see Claire getting closer and closer, until-

 _WHAM!_

He crashed into her, and they tumbled down the mountain in a confused tangle. When Owen got his bearings, he realized that he was lying facedown in the snow. One of his skis was missing. It was wedged next to Claire, who had somehow gotten stuck between two trees. She kicked her legs and tried to wiggle free. As soon as she did, she wheeled around and glared at Owen.

"Owen, what the hell?!"

He gulped and tried to stand upright, but fell to his knees almost immediately.

"I'm really sorry, Claire. I didn't mean to."

She growled.

"What happened?"

Owen looked away in shame.

"I . . . I might have lied about some things . . . such as the fact that I know how to ski."

Claire cocked her head.

"What?"

Owen kicked off his remaining ski and stood up clumsily.

"The truth is, I've never been skiing. Not once."

Claire gave him a puzzled look.

"Didn't your par-"

Catching herself, Claire cleared her throat and shook the snow from her plates.

"You know what? It's okay. I'll teach you."

Owen blinked.

"Teach me?"

Claire nodded.

"Sure, why not?"

Owen twisted his mouth.

"Well, I don't want to ruin your vacation."

Claire laughed gently.

"Owen, the only way you could ruin this vacation is if you weren't a part of it."

He shuffled his feet.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," Claire affirmed, "By the end of today, you'll be an expert."

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay watched Zach and Gray make their way down the hill, yawning with boredom. She wanted to hang out in the lodge, but Ellie would have none of it. She claimed that spending time with the Mitchell family would be somehow beneficial. Untrue. Elkay was absolutely certain that she'd screw something up. She wasn't exactly tuned in to people's sensitivities.

She lifted her head as Lowery cheered at the bottom of the hill. He was wearing a trapper hat and mittens.

"Whoo! Go, Gray, go! That was even better than last time!"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Do you ever get tired of being a dork?" she called out.

Before Lowery could answer, Karen zoomed down the hill and came to a stop in front of him, kicking up a cloud of snow. She lifted her goggles and gave him a kiss.

"Hey!"

Lowery smiled.

"Hey. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Claire?"

Karen shrugged.

"I lost her along the way. I figured I'd check on you while I wait for her to move her fat ass down the slope."

Elkay snorted.

"I'm telling her you said that . . ."

Karen frowned.

"Do you _have_ to be here?"

Elkay nodded.

"Ellie's forcing me. To be honest, I'd rather staple one of my tongues to a tree."

Lowery offered Karen a hot chocolate, but she shook her head, engaged in the dragon's conversation.

"Some exercise would do a world of good for someone as lazy as you."

Elkay growled.

"I hope you have a heart attack!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Karen remarked, "Especially coming from a sarcastic, good-for-nothing dragon who can't even take the time to supervise my kids."

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. They're doing fine. It's not _them_ I'd be worried about, anyway. You shouldn't be exerting yourself while you're pregnant, moron!"

With this, Lowery spat out his hot chocolate, speckling the snow with brown dots. Zach and Gray wheeled around, staring at their mother with wide eyes. Karen looked mortified. After a beat, Elkay covered her mouth.

"You haven't told them yet . . ."

Karen started shaking.

"You . . . How did- I mean-"

She threw her poles to the ground.

"Where do you get off, giving out personal information like that?"

Elkay put her hands on her hips.

"Don't be stupid. You'd have had to tell Lowery sooner or later."

They stared at Lowery, who looked like his mind had just imploded. His eye twitched, and he made a quiet wheezing noise.

"You . . . You're . . ."

Karen looked down.

"Yes, I'm pregnant. I was going to tell you soon, I swear."

Lowery blinked several times.

". . . Is it mine?"

Karen exhaled noisily.

"Yes, Lowery. Of course it is."

He squeaked.

"Oh. Good. Great. Okay."

He started shuffling backwards.

"So, um, I'm just going to . . ."

He fainted. Elkay looked down at him neutrally.

"Hm."

Zach and Gray made their way towards Karen slowly.

"Mom? . . ." Gray prompted.

Karen took a deep breath.

"You're going to have a baby brother or sister. I wish you could have found out in a more . . . _appropriate_ way, but now you know. It's no big deal. I've had two kids, and I can handle one more."

Elkay lifted her finger.

"Technically, you only gave birth once, since Zach is adopted."

His jaw dropped.

"I'm _what_?!"

Elkay took a deep breath.

"Shit . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire held Owen by the shoulders, keeping his skis between hers. She guided him along gently, speaking in a calm voice.

"Alright, follow what I'm doing. You have to go forward and turn . . . forward and turn . . ."

He lost his balance. Claire kept him from falling.

"I've got you, I've got you. Don't panic. If you need to go slowly, just make a triangle with your skis."

Owen pulled his heels in.

"The other way," she clarified.

Owen gulped and pointed his toes inwards.

"Can't I just go down the hill like this?" he asked.

"You can, but it will be hell on your legs. Don't be afraid to try it my way."

Owen frowned.

"I'm not afraid."

"So, you'd be alright if I let go, then?"

Claire lifted her front feet, releasing Owen. He slid forward, making a high-pitched squeaking sound. Claire couldn't help but laugh at his failed attempts to stop himself. Finally, he fell on his side. He turned around and glared at his wife.

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

***TSJWFEW***

"There's nothing wrong with being adopted," Karen said in a pleading voice, "You're still my son."

Zach shook his head.

"I can't believe you _lied_ to me!"

"I _didn't_ lie!" Karen snapped, "We're family. It doesn't matter where you came from."

"Who are my real parents?"

"No one. I'm your mother."

"Not biologically."

Gray's lip quivered.

"Does this mean we aren't brothers?"

Karen bit her lip.

"Oh, sweetheart . . ."

Zach rolled his eyes as Karen gave Gray a hug.

"It's no wonder he's your favorite . . ."

Karen's jaw dropped.

"ZACH! I don't have a favorite child!"

He glowered bitterly.

"Then why do you always coddle him like a baby?"

"Because he needs special attention."

"Confirmed for ASD!" Elkay declared from where she was fanning an unconscious Lowery.

"SHUT UP!" everyone shouted at once.

Karen turned back to Zach and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Look, baby, just because you're not technically related to me doesn't mean that you aren't my son. I love you just as much as Gray. You're a part of this family."

He shrugged her off.

"Don't touch me."

Karen looked down.

"If you want to talk about this privately, we can-"

He shook his head.

"I want to be alone. Don't follow me."

Karen gulped as he pulled his feet away from his snowboard and marched into the trees. She turned to Gray, who had begun to cry, and rocked him back and forth in her arms.

"Shhh. It's okay. We'll sort this out, I promise."

Elkay pretended not to notice the way Karen was glaring at her.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire wagged her tail, flattening the snow behind her.

"That's it, that's it. Come to me."

Owen scooted across the snow very, very slowly. He was going so slow, in fact, that the snow beneath his skis was growling. Claire opened her arms comfortingly.

"Lean forward, and don't be afraid to fall. You can go a little faster."

"Is it safe?" Owen squeaked.

"Of course."

Owen leaned forward a fraction of an inch. Claire sighed in exasperation.

"Faster, Owen."

"I can't."

"You can. Pretend there's a dinosaur chasing you."

"But there isn't."

"If you take much longer, that will change."

Owen stopped himself and sighed.

"This is hopeless, Claire. Why don't you just ski down, and I'll walk."

Claire shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you, Owen."

He pouted.

"I'm not going to be able to move any faster than this."

Claire rubbed her chin.

"Tell you what: if you can ski down to where I am right now, we'll have sex tonight."

Owen snorted.

"That's not going to work, Claire."

"I'm just trying to motivate you."

"Well, you're wasting your-"

Claire smiled triumphantly as he bumped into her belly. He had subconsciously moved towards her. Owen hummed, then stepped back.

"Maybe you're onto something . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Once Gray was feeling better, Karen jogged into the woods to find Zach. Her ski boots made it hard to move quickly, but luckily for her, he wasn't too far away. He was sitting at the base of a tree with his arms around his knees. Karen was alarmed to see that he was crying, something that didn't happen often.

"Zach?"

He whipped around angrily.

"Go away! I said I wanted to be alone!"

Karen ignored his request and sat down beside him. He tried to shake her away as she pulled him close, but she refused to let go. Gradually, he stopped fighting, and let himself cry into her shoulder.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay. This is my fault. I should have told you."

Zach sniffed loudly, then started shaking again.

"I had trouble getting pregnant, and the doctors recommended that I consider other options. I was planning to tell you when you were older, but then I had Gray, and I didn't want to make you feel like you were different."

Zach coughed.

"You should have told me anyway."

"I know," Karen whispered, "It was just so hard . . . None of that matters, though. We've always been family, and we'll continue to be family forever and ever."

"Does this change our custody?" Zach whimpered.

"Don't worry about that right now," Karen muttered, "That's not important. I just need to know that you're okay."

"I'm not."

"How can I fix this?"

"You can't."

Karen swallowed the lump in her throat. She turned her head as she heard someone approaching her rapidly. The sound of crunching snow grew louder, and Lowery became visible through the trees. Karen patted Zach's shoulder and ran over to him. Her eyes went wide as he fell forward on one knee.

"Karen, I know this is kind of out of nowhere, but I think we should get married. If we're going to have a baby together, I don't want to seem like I'm half-assing it."

He pulled a small, plastic bubble out of his pocket.

"So . . . Will you marry me?"

Karen examined the cheap-looking receptacle he was holding.

"What's that?"

"A ring," Lowery said, "I got it from the gumball machine. It took me nineteen tries."

Karen sighed.

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't know if I can accept this right now."

Lowery gulped.

"Why not?"

"You're important to me, Lowery, but Zach and Gray are my life. They'd have to agree to it too, and only after we've sorted out our own problems."

Lowery put the ring back in his pocket.

"I understand. I'll . . . I'll give you some time."

He shuffled back the way he came, meeting up with Elkay, who was chewing on several pieces of gum. She blew a large bubble and said something to him, holding up a coat hanger. After a beat, he picked up a branch and started beating the living shit out of her. She skittered through the snow, holding her hands over her rear as Lowery whacked her. When they were gone, Karen turned back to Zach, who was no longer crying.

"Sweetheart . . ."

"You should marry him. He likes you."

Karen shook her head.

"Let's not talk about that right now. I need to know that you're okay."

Zach took a deep breath.

"I'm fine. I'm just surprised, that's all. I didn't think you'd lie about something that important."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't ready for things to change."

"But they haven't changed. Not really," Zach reasoned, "I mean, you still raised me, and it's not like anything is different from before. I just discovered something that was true all along."

Karen sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Me too, but I guess it's good that I found out at all."

"I should have told you . . ."

Zach shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. What's done is done. Unless you're keeping _other_ secrets from me . . ."

Karen thought about it.

"No, nothing important."

Zach nodded.

"To make us even, I should probably tell you that I got an F in Biology."

Karen's eyes went wide.

"What?!"

Zach raised his eyebrow.

"My secret isn't as damaging as yours, so I wouldn't complain if I were you."

Karen's eye twitched.

"You . . . Oh, you're _sneaky_. But I'll let it go, just this once. It's more important that we enjoy this trip . . . as a family."

Zach gave a half-smile.

"As a family."

They made their way back to the Bunny Hill just in time to see Claire and Owen speeding down the mountain. Claire was ahead of Owen, and seemed to be leading the way. Every time she changed direction, she'd shout out a very strange comment.

"And we can use the shower!"

"How long?"

Claire changed direction.

"As long as you want."

Owen pursued her.

"What else?"

"I won't make you do the microscope thing."

Owen sped up.

"Sounds good. More?"

"I'll let you use a variation of the word 'tubby'."

"I'm liking this. And?"

"I'll moo!"

"Awesome. Anything else?"

Claire smiled as he bumped into her belly.

"Nope. We're at the bottom of the hill."

Owen looked around.

"Oh. That was fast."

Claire smiled and turned to Karen.

"Sorry I'm late. We ran into a few . . . issues."

"Same here," Karen said, "But I think we've solved most of them for now."

Claire snuffed happily.

"Good. Wanna go down the mountain again?"

Karen sighed.

"No, I don't think so. I'd better stay here and spend time with the boys."

Owen nudged Claire.

"We should go again."

Claire quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you saying that because you want me to make more promises?"

Owen chuckled.

"Maybe . . ."

Claire grinned mischievously.

"Alright. I guess we could go. If Karen is okay with it, that is . . ."

Karen smiled pleasantly.

"Sure. You two have fun. We can meet at the lodge later."

As Claire and Owen made their way towards the lift, Zach jogged up to Karen.

"Does Aunt Claire know I'm adopted?"

Karen giggled.

"Sweetheart, your aunt doesn't even know how old you are."

From a nearby tree, Elkay called out to them.

"Can you tell me how old he is? I want it to be canon."

Karen frowned.

"How did you get up there?"

"Lowery chased me."

Karen turned to Zach.

"I know this day has been rough for you, but at the very least, you can be happy that you aren't _her_."

Zach watched as Elkay fell out of the tree, landing in a large snow bank.

"Yeah, I think you might have a point, there."

They laughed and made their way over to where they had left their equipment. After that, they continued to ski.

Together.


	75. The Other Forty-Eight Days

The group had retired to the ski lodge. Everyone except Owen and Claire, that is. They were still making their way down the hill, blathering on and on about clothing and tongues and whipped cream for some reason. Gray was in bed, but the rest of the adults (and Zach) were swapping stories. Well, Lowery and Karen were swapping stories, anyway. Elkay was on her iPad (the new one, which had been a present from Ellie). As Lowery and Karen laughed, she stared at her electronic device with dead eyes, like a mindless zombie. Being the parent of two teenagers, Karen noticed this, and made a snarky comment.

"Are you gonna socialize, or do you have something against us mortals?"

Elkay shrugged.

"I don't find you interesting. I'm sure I have nothing to contribute to the conversation, anyway."

Lowery frowned.

"How is it that you're able to write about us as characters, but when it comes to actual interaction, you don't seem to care?"

"It's all in the context," Elkay said breezily, "If one of you were to tell me that you're allergic to oranges, for example, I won't care now, but when I think of it as a character trait, it suddenly becomes interesting."

"That makes no sense," Lowery snuffed.

"I never said it made sense," Elkay retorted flatly.

Zach leaned forward in his chair.

"So, you used to write stories about the people we know?"

Elkay nodded.

"I narrated and served as the author. Both are very different things."

"Why?"

"Well, the author is never-"

"No, I mean, why did you write about them?" he clarified.

Elkay shrugged.

"At the time, I was setting up a therapeutic exercise for my grandson, but somewhere along the way, I realized that what I had created held some artistic merit. I stumbled upon my destiny by accident."

Karen scoffed.

"You keep talking about our lives like they're a part of some . . . 'grand plan'."

"They are," Elkay declared, "The Star chose Ellie. I don't know what this is all leading up to, but there is a reason we're here. We're like seams in a quilt that we may never end up seeing."

Lowery snorted.

"That's a bunch of bull."

"It's not," Elkay huffed, "The Star is alive: more alive than us, in fact. It knows what it's doing."

Lowery hummed.

"So, you're saying that our destinies are controlled by a magic rock?"

"It's not a rock."

"A magic crystal, then?"

"It's not a crystal, either. It's The Star, plain and simple."

Lowery scoffed.

"Fine. I'm done arguing with you."

"If only that were true . . ."

Zach stood up.

"I'm going to bed."

"Brush your teeth," Karen reminded him.

"I will," he lied.

Elkay smirked.

"He's not going to brush his teeth."

"Do it," Karen said, "I'll feel if you brush is wet."

"Ew, Mom!"

"Do it!"

Zach groaned and marched away to his room in the lodge. Elkay rolled her eyes.

"He's probably going to wet his toothbrush to trick you."

Karen crossed her arms.

"How did you know that he wasn't planning to brush his teeth?"

"The manuscript said that he was lying."

Karen frowned.

"Aren't you writing it?"

"Kind of. It's like having something dictated to you, but you're allowed to add your personal flair. That's only in omniscient narration, mind you."

Karen sighed.

"None of this makes any sense."

"It does, but it's complicated."

"And I suppose this also has something to do with your ramblings about destiny?" Lowery quipped.

"Can you repeat the question?" Elkay requested naïvely.

Lowery rolled his eyes.

"I was being sarcastic. I just don't buy this whole 'destiny' thing."

"It's not destiny, exactly," Elkay muttered, "I mean, things need to happen, but we don't know what events will take us from Point A to Point B. The marker that connects the dots may stray, but it will always hit its mark eventually."

"That's ridiculous."

"You want an example?" Elkay sneered, "Take a look at the group. It's well on its way to becoming just like its predecessor. We already have three out of four couples set up, and we've filled the slots of the Leader and her partner, the wise-cracker and his boring girlfriend, and the former villain and his mild-mannered subordinate. All we need is the ditzy comic relief and her somewhat bland counterpart. It's just like before, only instead of normal dinosaurs, the group has hybrid alter egos."

Lowery blinked.

"Wha-at?"

"Stegoclaireatops, Indominus Owen, Ankylowerydocus, Stegokarentops, Pachyvicolophus, Mozaradon."

Lowery blinked.

"None of those words made much sense, but I think I get your drift. In any case, I can't change into a dinosaur voluntarily, and when was Karen ever a hybrid?"

"Claire's wedding. Long story," Karen muttered tersely.

"Exactly. And what I'm getting at is that eventually you'll be able to change back and forth," Elkay declared, "You'll be just like the last group."

Karen blinked.

"So, there's hope for Claire?"

Elkay gave the faintest of frowns.

"I wouldn't call it 'hope'. Claire has grown accustomed to the way she is right now. She wouldn't change, even if she could. Especially since Lily knows her as a dinosaur . . ."

"I know Claire," Karen stated confidently, "She'd change back. It doesn't make a difference whether or not she's the same as Lily."

Elkay smiled.

"You may think you know Claire, but she's far more complex than we give her credit for."

"Excuse me, but I think I know my own sister, thank you very much!" Karen snapped.

Elkay quirked a brow.

"Wanna bet? Let me tell you a secret: Ellie was able to change Claire back all along. Now that you know, you can tell Claire when she comes back. We'll see what happens."

Karen put her hand over her mouth.

"She . . . She didn't have to be a dinosaur?"

Elkay shook her head.

"Nope. And don't start yelling at me. I can tell you're mad. Don't be. This is not your problem. If anyone should be angry, it's Claire."

Karen stood up.

"Don't you dare tell me not to be angry! You've caused my sister some serious pain!"

"But she also had Lily."

"So?"

"She loves Lily more than anything in the world."

Karen was fuming.

"You bitch! Do you know what you did to her?"

"Yes. And she's out there skiing right now. She went on a vacation with her family. Did she do that when she was human?"

Lowery stood up and put his hands on Karen's shoulders.

"I think we all need to calm down."

"No, we don't," Elkay said with a malevolent grin, "As a point of fact, Lowery, many bad things have happened to you because of Ellie and me. You had an epic adventure, and it was never even narrated."

"Why not?"

"We were busy with other things."

Lowery frowned.

"I don't care about some stupid story."

"If you want, I can write it for you, based on your recollection."

"I said that I don't care."

"I know. But I can write it for you."

Lowery stared at her intensely, then took a deep breath and sat down. Karen placed herself beside him as his face became solemn.

"It all started when I got a call from Vivian . . ."

"We know that part. The unnarrated portion begins when you were picked up by Squadron X."

Lowery nodded.

"We were on our way to warn Barry that he was about to be captured. We knew that Neithhotep was using her starfish daughter's magic for sinister purposes. We overheard this when we escaped with Masrani, who was a helicopter at the time. We decided that we had to tell Ellie about the plot. We didn't know anything about her back then, so we didn't have a lot to go on. That's when we ran out of fuel. We were stuck in the middle of the ocean. Things looked pretty bleak."

***TSJWFEW***

But then, a large aircraft appeared from out of nowhere. A beam of light descended from the hull, and the group found themselves being lifted into the vehicle.

***TSJWFEW***

"Sounds good so far," Elkay stated, "And that's when you met María, right?"

"Yes."

"How would you describe her?"

"She was infinitely kind. Spunky. I don't know, she-"

"No, physically."

"Well, she had dark hair, dark eyes . . ."

"You're allowed to say that she was black."

Lowery frowned.

"Yeah, alright. Her partner was Enrique. He was nice. Knew a lot about jewelry, for some reason. They were good people. I miss them. When Hoskins attacked the ship-"

"Stay in order."

Lowery nodded.

"Okay. We were picked up by Squadron X, and they told us about their mission."

***TSJWFEW***

"We're the Interdimensional Police Force. It's our job to prevent conflict between different dimensions."

***TSJWFEW***

"It all seems like a distant memory, now," Lowery said quietly, "But I remember María. It would be hard to forget her. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she punched Hoskins' wolves . . ."

"Stay in order."

Lowery sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"We sent Enrique to find Barry, but somehow, our communications got tangled up in a weird dimensional . . . thing. We were all like: 'Enrique? Enrique?', and the guy on the other end was like: 'No, this isn't Enrique!'."

"And?"

"We lost Barry. We tracked him to Cambodia. While we were wandering in the jungle, Vivian and I found the genie. He said that the first one of us to ask a question could be changed back."

"So, you were a dinosaur by this point?"

"Yes. Neithhotep changed me."

"When?"

"Before Hoskins attacked us with his wolves. Anyway, the genie-"

"Do you remember his rhyme?"

"What?"

"The genie speaks in rhyme. What did he say?"

"I don't remember. All I know is that I wished for a thousand wishes, which pissed him off. Vivian apologized, and the genie made a bargain. He said that the first one of us to ask a question, a real question, would change back. I wasn't thinking. I asked, 'Why?'."

Elkay nodded and typed something on her iPad.

"That was pretty dumb. I'll bet Vivian was mad."

"Very. She still is . . ."

Lowery fell silent. Elkay stopped typing.

"You okay?"

Lowery took a deep breath.

"If you want to know what I remember, I'll tell you. I remember what happened when they shot the ship down. It was so big that it seemed to fall in slow motion. There were several explosions in different places. During one of the blasts, María's radio went silent. Then, the entire thing burned up. It's all ash and shrapnel now. That's all that's left of my friends. No one will remember them, because they did their best to go unnoticed. They gave up their legacy so that they could fight for what they believed in."

Karen put her hand on Lowery's. He squeezed it gently.

"So, if that happened because of your stupid destiny, I don't think I like the way the Universe is being run," Lowery whispered.

Elkay stopped writing. She looked up at him with a neutral expression.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't mean that."

"I do. I wouldn't change the past, even if I could, but I'm sorry it had to happen. Karen, you should accept his proposal now."

She blinked in surprise.

"What? _Now_?"

Elkay nodded.

"Why not? I mean, you love him, right?"

Karen sputtered.

"Yes, but . . . I mean, it's so _soon_."

"You _should_ marry him as soon as possible," Elkay affirmed, "We only have so much time on this earth. It's better to spend most of it with the people we love. Don't take time for granted. We could be moments away from death and not know it."

Karen took a deep breath.

"Lowery, I'm not sure I believe this whole destiny thing either, but . . . I mean, we're together now . . ."

She shook her head.

"I don't know what I'm saying."

"You're saying that you love him," Elkay stated, "No need to overcomplicate things."

Karen nodded resentfully.

"Yeah. I guess that's what I'm saying. But I'm not going to accept your proposal just yet. I need some time to think about this."

"Take all the time you need," Lowery said gently, "Don't listen to the dragon. We aren't going to die at any moment. I won't let anything happen to you, Karen. I'm not going to lose you like I lost my friends."

"Lowery . . ."

"And I'm not going to screw up your life like I did with Vivian. I learned my lesson. This time, I'm going to do it right. I'm in this one hundred percent. I love you too much to bullshit my way through life."

"Oh, Lowery . . ."

Elkay turned away as they gave each other a hug. They all snapped to attention when they heard Claire and Owen enter the lodge. Their voices became clearer as they approached the lobby.

"-far away from the others. The walls are pretty thick here, so if we're quiet-"

Owen fell silent as he entered the room. He smiled pleasantly.

"Hey, guys. How's everything?"

"Good," Lowery said, "I think I figured out how to justify bad things happening to good people. That, or I've gone completely insane."

Owen chuckled.

"Well, let me know how that turns out. I'd love to stay and chat, but Claire and I-"

"-are exhausted, and we need to . . . _relax_ . . ." Claire finished coyly, secretly running her tail down Owen's leg.

Elkay locked her eyes on Karen's and nodded towards Claire. Slowly, with a trace of hesitancy, she stood up and made her way over to her sister.

"Claire, I just discovered something that you might find disturbing," Karen said seriously.

Claire's face fell.

"Is Lily okay?"

"Yes. This is about you."

Claire cocked her head.

"Is there something . . . _wrong_ with me?"

Karen took a deep breath.

"Ellie was able to change you back the whole time. There is no reason for you to be a dinosaur."

Claire blinked twice.

"Oh . . . okay . . ."

Karen bit her lip.

"She can change you."

"Into wh- Oh, into a human, you mean."

"Yes."

Claire hummed.

"Well, I guess I'd better say something to her."

She turned her head.

"Come on, Owen."

The two of them strolled down the hall towards their room. Elkay waited until they were gone, then glanced at Karen.

"Did she react the way you thought she would?"

Karen held her mouth open for a few seconds before finding the right words.

"She . . . She said that she was going to call Ellie . . ."

"Mhm. Do you think she'll be human by morning?"

"Probably. Yes."

Elkay smiled.

"We'll see."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire did not change overnight. She entered the lodge's dining hall as a dinosaur, looking rather well-rested after sleeping in. She sat across from Karen, who stared at her sister with disbelief. At first, Claire didn't notice her reaction, but she eventually caught sight of her unusual mien.

". . . What? . . ."

"Did you talk to Ellie?"

"Hm?"

"She lied to you. You can be human."

Claire blinked.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I asked her about it, and she said that she lost her ability to change me back very recently. I just have bad timing, I guess."

Karen narrowed her eyes.

"You talked to her directly, right?"

"Mhm. I called her with a payphone."

"What payphone?"

"Oh, you know . . . the payphone. It's downstairs."

Claire yawned.

"Well, I'd better get some breakfast. Do you know if they have waffles here?"

Karen shook her head very slowly.

"I don't know . . ."

"I might just grab some cornflakes. See you in a bit."

Karen watched her sister lumber away. Not taking her eyes off of her, she snatched Elkay's arm as she strolled by.

"Ouch!"

"Does this lodge have a phone?"

"Karen, let go!"

"Does this lodge have a phone?" she repeated.

"No! Of course not! We don't get coverage in these parts. Your personal calls will have to wait. Now let me go, you crazy witch!"

Karen released her. She didn't see Elkay storming off bitterly, because she had her eyes fixed on Claire. She was balancing a bowl of cornflakes between her horns, and she had waffles skewered on her tail spikes. Thinking that no one was watching her, she grabbed a can of whipped cream and squirted it in her mouth. She licked her beak quickly when she heard Owen coming. He reached out and caught the bowl of cereal as it slipped from her horns. She congratulated him on his sharp reflexes, and they shared a kiss.

Karen turned back to her own breakfast. Somehow, she wasn't feeling hungry anymore.


	76. Clarice

Claire moaned as a gentle knocking woke her from her slumber. She had been dreaming about grazing again, which tended to be one of her more serene dreamscapes. Although she was mildly upset that she had been interrupted, she forced herself to wake up fully. She lifted her head and let her eyes adjust to the darkness, focusing on the grainy scene in front of her. With a drowsy yawn, she stepped down from the bed, pulling the loose half of the blanket over Owen, who shifted a little. She lumbered across the room and opened the door as the knocking grew more frantic.

"Lily?"

Her daughter was sitting in the hall with her stuffed cow cradled tenderly in her arms. She looked up at her mother with big eyes.

"I had a bad dream."

Claire frowned sadly and picked her up.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Was it the one with the monkey again?"

Lily nodded and buried her face in Claire's chest.

"Oh, honey," Claire whispered, "It's okay. Let me tuck you in."

She carried Lily back to her room and placed her on the bed. Lily chewed on her fist and looked up at Claire innocently.

"Ma . . ."

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here," she cooed.

Claire turned on Lily's nightlight and placed the covers over her shoulders. She pulled them tighter when she saw that the stuffed cow was exposed.

"There," she said with a satisfied smile, "Is Clarence feeling okay?"

Lily nodded, not taking her eyes off of Claire.

"Alright, sweetheart. I'm going back to bed."

Lily caught her by the beak before she could turn away. Claire sighed.

"Sweetheart . . ."

"Don't go, Mama. I'm scared."

Claire smiled.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, darling."

Lily pulled Claire closer, whimpering softly.

"Mommy, what's in the dark?"

"Nothing. You're safe, Lily."

"What if the monsters are hiding in the dark?" she persisted.

Claire chuckled.

"Lily, your mother can see perfectly. There are no monsters."

Claire turned to leave once again, but Lily grabbed her arm.

"Mommy . . ."

Claire sighed in defeat and climbed up on Lily's bed. She stroked her frill gently as she snuggled back into her covers: satisfied, now that she had prevented her mother from leaving.

"You know I'd never let anything happen to you, Lily," Claire said seriously, "As long as I'm around, nothing will ever harm you."

"But will you be around forever?"

Claire lifted Lily's chin.

"Yes. Absolutely. I'd never, ever leave you."

Lily closed her eyes.

"I know you'll always be with me. You're just like everyone else. They're here, Momma. All the time."

"Who?"

"The others. I can see them when I'm playing in the meadow. They're always watching you."

Claire frowned softly.

"Lily . . . What are you talking about?"

"Our family. They talk to me, sometimes. They're very nice. Especially Flower. She likes to play by the brook."

Claire gulped.

"Okay, sweetie. It's time for bed. Do you think you can fall asleep?"

Lily nodded.

"Good. Close your eyes and try to relax."

Lily squeezed her stuffed cow tightly. She closed her eyes, but it wasn't long before they were open again.

"Momma?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you see them, too?"

Claire took a deep, shaky breath.

". . . No. Not anymore. But I can feel them. I know they're never truly gone."

Lily cocked her head.

"Can you hear them?"

"No, I can't hear them either," Claire sighed.

"They say nice things about you."

Claire smiled.

"What kind of nice things?"

"They say that you're a good mother and that you've done very well for yourself. They say that it isn't your fault, and that they forgive you."

Claire felt her heart quiver.

"They say all that?" she whispered.

Lily nodded.

"Mhm. All the time. They don't like it when you act sad, because they want you to be happy. They must really like you."

"I can't imagine why . . ."

Claire fell silent as she pondered the meaning behind her own words, but she quickly snapped out of her trance and smiled down at her daughter.

"Look at me, rambling on and on when you should be sleeping! Close your eyes, baby, and don't be afraid of the dark. I promise, nothing will ever happen to you."

Lily smiled.

"I love you, Mama."

Claire nuzzled her gently.

"I love you too, Lily. I love you more than anything in the world."

She let Lily sink into her pillow. Pulling the cover over her shoulders for the last time, Claire kissed her forehead. Instead of leaving right away, she watched Lily fall asleep. Gradually, her breathing became even, and she snored very gently. Claire smiled and kissed her again, then tiptoed back to her own room. She had barely moved five paces when she noticed Owen leaning against the wall.

"Hey."

"Hey," Claire replied with surprise, "Why are you up?"

"It's a lot colder when you're gone. How's Lily?"

"She's fine. She had the nightmare again."

"Poor girl. Is she sleeping better now?"

"Yes. I think she's doing okay."

Owen smiled pensively and put his hand on Claire's frill. He let it slide down tenderly, his fingers tracing every scale as they passed. Claire wondered what he was thinking. Although Owen would defend his friends and family at the drop of a hat, he never seemed to be able to express his own thoughts vocally. He was surprisingly shy in that way. Sometimes, he would open up when he was talking to Claire in a private setting. She wondered if he did it with anyone else. No, he wouldn't, would he? She knew him better than that.

Owen nodded towards their room.

"We'd better get some sleep, too."

"I agree."

They got into bed together, and fell asleep almost immediately.

***TSJWFEW***

Claire was vacuuming when Lily came waddling up to her with a request. She had always been slightly nervous around noisy appliances, so Claire turned it off right away. She smiled down at her daughter and nudged her with her tail.

"Hey, baby girl. What's up?"

"Do we have any pictures of you when you were young?" Lily squeaked.

"Why do you need them?" Claire asked.

"It's for school. Teacher says we gotta talk about someone who inspires us."

Claire gave a wide grin.

"Oh, Lily! That's so sweet of you. Yeah, I think we have a photo album around here somewhere . . ."

She stepped across the kitchen and reached up to a shelf above the fridge. Pulling down an old book, Claire walked over to the family room and sat down on the couch. Lily hopped up beside her, placing her hands on her shoulder for support. Claire blew a layer of dust away from the cover and smiled.

"Here we go, there should be-"

As soon as Claire opened the book, she realized how very stupid she was. There were pictures of her, alright, but what she had forgotten was that before the age of thirty, she had been a human being. Lily stared at the photos with interest.

"I don't see any pictures of you . . . Is that Aunt Karen?"

Claire nodded as Lily pointed to a picture of Claire and Karen at a Christmas party.

"Yeah, that's her," Claire said evasively, "This used to be her album. You know what? I just remembered, there's a-"

"Who's that?"

Claire felt her heart sink into the floor as Lily pointed to a picture of her as a teenager. She bit her lower beak and closed the book nervously.

"That's . . . Clarice. My other sister."

"You have another sister?"

"Yes . . . No. She died a few years ago."

Lily shrunk away and pouted.

"That's so sad . . ."

Claire shook her head quickly.

"No, sweetie, no. It's not sad. I'm very happy with . . . I mean . . ."

She broke off awkwardly. Standing up, she ran to the kitchen and placed the photo album back on its shelf. Lily stared at her in confusion.

"Look, baby, I'll get you some pictures, okay?" Claire affirmed brightly, "I just need to borrow some from your Aunt Karen."

Claire made a mental note to ask Ellie to conjure up some fake photos, or else excuse Lily from that portion of the assignment. Knowing Ellie, the latter option was preferable, since it didn't involve directly deceiving anyone . . . "Directly" being the key word.

"Mommy?"

Claire gulped and looked down at Lily.

"Yes, darling?"

"If you're sad about Clarice, you can tell me."

Claire shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sad about losing her, Lily. Trust me, it was-"

Claire realized that ending her sentence with "for the best" didn't make a whole lot of sense within the context she had given Lily. She wiggled her toes and exhaled.

". . . It was a long time ago, and I've moved on. Okay?"

Lily nodded brightly.

"Okay. It's kind of funny how both of your sisters were twolegs. How does that work, exactly?"

Claire felt her stomach twist. The dreaded question had finally arrived. She struggled to come up with a reasonable answer, calling back every excuse she had come up with over the years. Somehow, she couldn't recall the exact wording of the speech she had prepared.

"Uh . . . Um . . . You see, genetics-"

She waved her front foot vaguely.

"And, um, the alleles of . . . um . . . dinosaurs . . ."

Claire perked up as Owen entered the room.

"Darling, explain to Lily how our family works."

Owen blinked.

"What?"

She gave him a meaningful stare.

". . . Oh."

He knelt down in front of Lily.

"You see, Lily, there are lots and lots of sentient animals on this earth. There are humans, raptors, octopi . . . You know: civilized species. Your mother is a stegoceratops, and I'm a human."

Lily blinked.

"Isn't a human a different kind of stegoceratops?"

Owen gulped.

"Well . . . no. Not exactly. See, you and your mother are very special. You're the last of your kind. I'm sure if there were more of you running around, it would be acceptable to . . ."

Lily waited for him to finish his sentence. Owen took a deep breath and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Lily, has anyone been teasing you at school?"

"Kind of," she hummed, "I'm different from everyone else. I can talk, but the dinosaurs that eat plants don't usually talk, do they?"

Owen shook his head.

"No, they don't."

Lily scratched her head.

"Why am I different?"

Owen struggled to find an explanation. Claire exhaled and took his place.

"Lily, we're not livestock. There's a difference between the dinosaurs you see on Isla Nublar and the ones that come to visit. Aunt Vivian and Uncle Vic are plant-eating people-dinosaurs, just like us. We can talk, we can solve problems, and we're generally intelligent."

"Why?"

"We're hybrids, Lily."

She pulled her head back in puzzlement.

"What does _that_ mean?"

Claire smiled.

"It means we're many things at once. See, cows and horses and pigs will always be a single animal. They're not smart enough to recognize themselves in a mirror like intelligent creatures. It's because they're stuck being one thing. We're more . . . flexible."

Lily cocked her head.

"Flexible?"

Claire smiled.

"Mhm. I'm a wife, a mother, and a working woman. Your father is a motorcyclist and a surprisingly good cook when he needs to be. What separates us from the animals is our ability to be two things at once. In fact, being two things adds up to us being one thing: ourselves. We're unique, and that's something to be proud of."

Lily grinned.

"I think I understand!"

Claire smiled and gave her a hug.

"Good girl. You're a lot smarter than your mother, you know. It took me a long time to figure things out."

As Claire glanced to the side, Owen gave her a knowing smile. She returned it, then gave Lily a noogie.

"Alright, you little munchkin. Show me this project of yours. I'll tell you anything you need to know."

 _Mostly_.


	77. The Puppy Episode

Claire liked Vivian, really she did, but there was always an awkward atmosphere when she was around. Claire was already supersensitive to remarks about her relationship with Owen, but nothing matched the way she felt when Vivian stared her down. It was as if she had psychic abilities, only instead of communicating normal phrases, she was stuck on a constant loop of "Oh my god, you let Owen stick his thing in you, and that's super gross". Of course, Vivian was _allowed_ to act all high and mighty, because she had never had sexual relations with Brad. Even so, it wasn't easy being judged by Vivian, so Claire tended to keep Zara around as a buffer. As much as Vivian hated the idea of dinosaur-human intercourse, the idea of Zara and Vic even holding hands was enough to make her gag.

"I mean, he used to be, like, a billion years old," she snuffed as the group met for lunch one day, "I know he's younger now, but yeesh! He's just inherently gross."

Zara's nostrils twitched ever so slightly.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Vivian, but unless you can come up with a legitimate reason why we shouldn't be together, I'm afraid I can't take your criticism seriously."

Vivian shoveled a cluster of french fries into her mouth.

"I mean, it's just creepy," she mumbled through a full mouth, "He's a weirdo. What do you even _know_ about him?"

Zara lifted her chin.

"His favorite flowers are marigolds, he likes to paint pictures of dolphins, his favorite kind of pudding is butterscotch, he's infinitely kind, and he loves me. That's all I really need to know."

Vivian scoffed.

"Zara, you're _so_ naïve."

" _He loves me_!"

Vivian jumped back as Zara slammed her wing on the table. She swallowed her french fries and frowned.

"Geez, you don't have to get so defensive. I'm only looking out for you."

As Zara scowled, Claire cleared her throat in an attempt to dissipate the tension.

"Back to business: today is a very special day."

"Why? Did your kid learn to poop indoors?"

Claire did her best to stop herself from punching Vivian in the face.

"No, Lily's been potty trained for quite some time. Today is the day the hybrids come to Isla Nublar."

Vivian blinked.

"We're already here."

Claire shook her head.

"No, the other ones. Neithhotep and Elkay have been keeping them on one of the Five Deaths before now. They didn't know how to integrate them into Nublar society, so they've been rehabilitating them bit by bit."

Vivian hummed.

"That's cool, I guess. Hey, do you think they have more fries at the restaurant?"

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Vivian, this is important to me."

"I don't see what the big deal is," she muttered, "Dinosaur-people have been coming to Isla Nublar for a long time, according to the dragons."

Claire shook her head.

"This is different. Isla Nublar is the 'carrefour' of dinosaur relations. We have Sorna for the wild dinosaurs, and the other islands for miscellaneous housing, but Isla Nublar is the crown jewel of this world, especially now that pretty much everyone is a dinosaur."

Vivian twisted her mouth.

"So?"

" _So_ it's my job to be presentable," Claire stressed, "I can't screw this up. Especially since I'm partly responsible for . . ."

Claire shuddered. She didn't like to think about the incident at Jurassic World. There was no worse feeling than having all eyes fixed on her, knowing that everyone was waiting for her to find a way to undo her screw-ups. If she could make things right, even a little, she'd feel better about her status on Isla Nublar.

"This is my chance to redeem myself," Claire said solemnly, "That's why it's a big deal."

Zara smiled and patted Claire's head tenderly.

"I understand, Claire. Don't worry about a thing. You're going to blow those dinosaur's minds."

"They're not all dinosaurs, but thank you," Claire beamed.

"Not all dinosaurs?" Vivian echoed, "What the hell _are_ they, then?"

"Most of them are Indominus Rexes, but since the Volatus Virus mostly affects dinosaurs with avian DNA, we'll be expecting a lot of raptors. Plus, there's some miscellaneous creatures that Neithhotep conjured up to sell off to random corporations. Those animals are hybrids of either two prehistoric reptiles or two herbivores, since the virus needs more than one non-avian creature to complete the genetic alterations."

Vivian blinked.

"Wow, you really know your stuff."

"I've been reading the Wiki," Claire said with a shrug.

Zara smiled and nudged Claire with her tail.

"Like I said, you'll do fine. I've known you for many years, and never once have you let us down . . . for the most part . . ."

Claire sighed.

"I was feeling really good until you added that last part."

Vivian punched her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Claire. Of the three of us, you're the most responsible. If this is important to you, I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work."

Claire nodded blankly.

"I hope you're right."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire did perfectly fine. She greeted the hybrids like a real professional, which she was, essentially. The dragons had contacted the families of the formerly deceased dinosaurs, and when they reunited, Claire felt her heart glowing with pride. This was the complete opposite of that sinking feeling she had experienced when she discovered that she had made a mistake. It was like her regret was an acid, and facing her problems neutralized it. She couldn't be more relieved.

"Mommy!"

Claire smiled as Lily came running up to her. She caught her in her arms and fell backwards, laughing.

"Lily! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"We're going on a field trip!" Lily bubbled, "Everyone wanted to see the hybrids. I guess you were right about us being special."

Claire nuzzled Lily gently.

"I'm glad you think so."

Claire felt someone tapping her shoulder. She looked up and saw a blue sauropod looking down at her.

"Guess who?"

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Lowery?"

He nodded.

"Since today is kind of a celebration of hybrids, the dragons gave me the gift of being able to change back and forth. Same for Karen."

Claire blinked.

"Okay . . . Why?"

Lowery shrugged.

"No idea. I guess she wanted to make sure that everyone in our group can be a dinosaur. I'm not sure if she can change you b-"

Claire whacked his foot with her tail.

"Ow! What was-"

He saw Lily.

"Oh. Hi, there."

Lily stared up at him with confusion.

"Wait . . . Uncle Lowery is a dinosaur now?"

"Only half of the time," Lowery replied sheepishly, realizing that he had painted himself into a corner.

"Cool! Now you can be just like Auntie Zara and Uncle Vic and Aunt Vivian!" Lily beamed.

Lowery nodded evasively.

"Yeah . . ."

Lily smiled.

"My dad can be a dinosaur too, you know."

Lowery hummed.

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. He doesn't do it a lot, though, because he's a meat-eater. Zara eats meat, but she likes fish the best, and fish don't talk."

Lowery stepped backwards.

"Yeah, okay. See you later, then."

Lily frowned in puzzlement as he stumbled away awkwardly.

"Why's Uncle Lowery being so weird?" she asked.

"He's always weird," Claire huffed, "Nothing unusual about that."

Lily rubbed her chin.

"So, a human can change into a dinosaur, but if a person was born as a dinosaur, they can't change at all?"

Claire nodded.

"Something like that."

Lily twisted her mouth.

"Gosh. If humans can change, why wouldn't they want to be a dinosaur all the time?"

Claire smiled.

"I don't know, sweetie. I don't know."

"Maybe because they can't pick up small change!" Vivian interjected as she stormed towards Claire, "I just dropped all of my coins down the drain. It wouldn't be a problem, but _this_ world only accepts the new currency. Who even came up with Parks, anyway?"

Claire shrugged.

"Elkay, I guess. I don't see a problem with having a unified currency across the dimension."

"That's because you're on the five cent coins."

Claire blushed.

"Yeah, that might be a motivator. Do you need to borrow money?"

Vivian nodded.

"Large bills only, and please don't make a comment about my face."

"Wh- Oh, right. Bill. Have people been teasing?"

Vivian nodded.

"It sucks to be me. Maybe I ought to get engaged."

"Why do you say that?"

"Cuz the dragons will give me a present, just like they did with Lowery and Karen."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Karen's _engaged_?!"

"Yeah, she accepted the proposal this morning. Didn't you wonder why she was a dinosaur all of a sudden?"

Claire blinked rapidly.

"I haven't seen her! Oh my god! I have to congratulate her!"

Claire swung Lily over her shoulder and started to dash away, but froze in mid-stride.

"Shoot. I can't leave now. I'm supposed to be giving a speech."

Vivian cocked her head.

"What about?"

"It's my job to welcome the hybrids to Isla Nublar officially. I have a slideshow prepared."

"Alright. When you're done, can you lend me some money?"

Claire rumbled impatiently.

"Can't you think of anyone but yourself?"

"Says the person who made me work over Christmas."

"Let's not level," Claire snapped, "Can you make sure Lily finds her way back to her class?"

Vivian shook her head.

"No! I'm not your babysitter. Ask Zara to do it. It'll keep her away from Vic, anyway . . ."

Claire frowned.

"Vivian, I don't think it's your place to judge."

She snorted and waved her front foot limply.

"Oh, please! You're only saying that because of how Owen-"

Claire covered Vivian's mouth. Before she could protest, Claire gave her a meaningful stare, her eyes darting up to Lily and back. Vivian exhaled frustratedly.

"Fine. I'm going to find Lowery. He _always_ lends me money."

Claire glared at her as she stormed away, her tail swinging loosely behind her. Lily peeked over her frill with a curious frown.

"Gee, Aunt Vivian is kind of grumpy today, isn't she?"

Claire rubbed her chin.

"Yes. Yes, she is . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

After her speech, Claire was greeted by several dinosaurs. They seemed thrilled to meet her, as they had heard a lot about her through the grapevine (of course, the grapevine sounded suspiciously similar to a blabbermouth dragon). It was doubly strange because most of them had known her before she had been stuck as a stegoceratops. Nobody was interested in her back then. Of course, it was rather telling how many dinosaurs said things like "Gosh, you're a lot nicer than I thought you'd be!". Claire hadn't exactly been known for her tenderness at Jurassic World.

"Claire!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Claire felt a chill run down her spine like a snake made of ice. There was only one person that voice could belong to, and that person happened to be the only Jurassic World employee who had A) requested permission to bring a crossbow to work B) demonstrated her ability to juggle flaming chainsaws on more than one occasion, and C) set her trained falcons loose on Isla Nublar to catch Owen's escaped rats. The person in question was, of course, Sarah the Mosasaur Trainer.

Claire turned around, expecting to see some sort of raptor or Indominus Rex, but instead, she saw a crocodilian reptile with a sail. She examined the strange green and yellow creature and held her beak open in confusion.

"Uh . . ."

"I'm a postosuchus-dimetrodon hybrid," Sarah chirped, "One of Neithhotep's. Elkay rescued me shortly after I was kidnapped, and I've been waiting to see you ever since."

Claire blinked.

"See _me_?"

She nodded so hard that Claire expected her eyeballs to fall out.

"I've been looking for a new job, recently, and I thought you might be able to help."

Claire gulped.

"Well, you certainly have an . . . interesting . . . résumé."

Sarah grinned.

"I make it my business to try everything and anything that interests me. I want to do _all the things_!"

Claire nodded.

"Well, okay. If you're really looking for a job, I hear the school is looking for-"

Imagining how poorly Lily might fare if her teacher was as insane as Sarah, Claire reconsidered her offer.

"Actually, if you're interested in dentistry, there might be something there . . ."

"Don't even mention dentists!" Zara squawked as she slid towards them, "You know how I feel about them. Nasty bunch."

"Someone's bitter," Claire remarked.

Zara rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well, I'll have you know that I'm not the only one. I found out why Vivian has been so cross lately. She's no longer seeing Brad."

Claire gasped.

"He dumped her?"

Zara shrugged.

"Word on the street is that they ended it mutually, but that doesn't mean a thing. I can tell that Vivian is hurting. I'll bet she realized that it was going to be hard to keep seeing him without them having s-"

Claire cleared her throat noisily.

"Zara! This is a professional zone. We're not alone."

Zara noticed Sarah standing patiently beside Claire.

"Oh. Right. Hello."

Sarah smiled.

"Hi! I used to be the mosasaur trainer at Jurassic World."

The corners of Zara's beak twitched.

"Why didn't you do your jooooooooob?"

Claire flittered her plates awkwardly.

"Zara, not now. Maybe you'd better find Vic so we can talk about Vivian's issues."

Zara sniggered.

"There's nothing I enjoy more than good gossip. See you later, then!"

Claire turned back to Sarah as Zara waddled away.

"Sorry about that. Just a little personal business."

Sarah gave a remorseful look.

"Poor thing. Vivian hasn't had it easy, you know. I heard her mother is in a coma."

Claire shook her head.

"Not anymore. She woke up recently, and boy was she surprised to discover that her daughter was a dinosaur!"

Sarah beamed.

"Oh, she's one of us? That's great! The more, the merrier!"

Claire blinked.

"You don't seem fazed by the fact that you're a hybrid reptile."

Sarah laughed merrily.

"Of course not! What kind of an moron _wouldn't_ want to be a kickass hybrid?"

Claire hummed.

"Well, I wasn't too thrilled, at first."

Sarah cocked her head.

"Why not?"

"Well, I-"

Claire froze. That was a very good question. What was it about being a dinosaur that bothered her so much?

"I guess I wanted to fit in," Claire mumbled, "I wanted to be the girl on top, not some big, green . . . cow. It's hard to be an animal. No one really sees you for who you are. Well . . . _mostly_ no one. I guess the people that stand by you are the ones you should have paid attention to in the first place. They're the ones who matter, because . . . they love you."

Sarah pulled her claw out of her ear and flicked away a small, sticky ball.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. Were you saying something insightful?"

Claire exhaled.

"No. I guess not. By the way, if you're going to be staying here, you should know that my daughter thinks I've always been a stegoceratops. It would harm her self-perceived image if she were to believe otherwise."

" _Know_ otherwise, you mean."

Claire blinked.

"Huh?"

"If you believe the truth, they call that _knowing_."

Another good example of why Claire didn't particularly like Sarah.

***TSJWFEW***

"I keep having this reoccurring nightmare. I'm in a big city, like New York or something, and I start growing. It's fine at first, because I think it's natural, but when I have trouble squeezing through buildings, I know I've become too large. I try to get out of the city, but I get stuck and start accidentally stepping on people. I try to apologize and run away, but nothing I do seems to help. Eventually, I grow so large that I destroy everything around me. That's when I wake up. I cry afterwards, sometimes. What does it all mean?"

Elkay peered at Vic through her very official-looking therapist glasses.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No," he muttered, "That's why I'm asking you."

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you non-authors are so terrible with metaphors. Obviously, you're worried about harming your friends by reverting back to your old ways. You don't want your ego to swell to the point of- Are you _crying_?"

Vic sniffled.

"I'm sorry. It's just so scary hearing about that kind of thing. I- I don't know what I would do if- if I-"

Elkay handed him a tissue. He blew his nose and gulped.

"Thank you."

Elkay leaned back in her rolling chair.

"It seems to me, Vic, like you're having trouble letting go of the past."

"But I want to!" Vic insisted, "I hate the man I used to be, and I wish I could make it so that he never existed."

Elkay clicked her tongue.

"But you can't. Your past will always be a part of you, and it will catch up eventually, mark my words."

Vic shivered.

"Oh god. What do I do?"

"There's nothing you _can_ do. You just have to be honest about your history and pray that people forgive you for it. If you lie, you'll only make matters worse. Have you told Zara about your first wife yet?"

Vic shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"She knows that I was married before . . ."

"That's a no. You _have_ to tell her the details, Vic."

His lip quivered.

"She'd dump me."

"Not if she really loves you. You have to trust that she'll accept you for who you are, and that includes who you used to be."

Vic sighed.

"Gosh, I really shouldn't be with Zara. She's too good for me. I'm doing nothing to make her life better, other than giving her presents and compliments and love. People are starting to say awful things about her, and it's all my fault."

Elkay waved her therapist pen around casually.

"You know, you sound just like Owen. He's always going on and on about how much he's ruining Claire's reputation. Honestly, it's kind of the other way around. Everyone thinks he's a pervert because he's fucking a dinosaur."

She twisted her beak.

"Admittedly, that sentence doesn't exactly help his case. I wouldn't say that he's messed up, exactly. Well, not for the most part. He said that he got turned on watching Claire try to open a door with her mouth once."

Vic's eye twitched.

"Are you supposed to be disclosing this to me?"

Elkay shrugged.

"I don't see why not. If people are dumb enough to trust me as a therapist, they deserve to have their privacy breached. Speaking of which, did you know that Lowery has Karen dress up as-"

Vic put his hands over his ears.

"Can we please get back to my problem?"

Elkay sighed.

"Vic, I know you mean well, but you're stuck in what I call a 'Wu Loop'. You love your partner unconditionally, but you feel so guilty about being with them that you can't see your own value. Ever since you started dating Zara, she's been all 'unicorns and rainbows': all because you showed her a bit of affection."

Vic bit his lip.

"But is love really enough to mend these wounds?"

"If it isn't, I don't know what is."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire was tired, but in a good way. She felt like she had just come back from a big party, which she essentially had. Raptor Valley had been decorated with colorful lanterns to celebrate the arrival of the hybrids, and the echo of music was still hanging in the air. Although Claire was walking down a road that was quite a distance from the celebration, she could make out the sound of Owen's voice. She was happy to hear him singing, because she knew that he had stage fright. She didn't remember exactly when he had told her about this, so it was very likely that it had happened during their forgotten hike up Tall Mountain.

Claire wished she could remember the events that had taken place before her memory had been wiped. She'd get flashes of it every now and then, which made it all the more frustrating when she couldn't remember specific details. Luckily, she was able to recall the most important event: her first kiss with Owen. Ever since she had rediscovered that particular memory, it had been as clear as day in her mind's eye. Thinking about it now, she felt warm inside. Although she had treated Owen rather poorly (admittedly because she had been stressed out about being part dinosaur at the time), there was no doubt that they were destined to be together. Owen had known it better than she had. Claire wanted to fling her arms around him and shout "THANK YOU FOR NOT GIVING UP ON ME!", but he probably wouldn't know what she meant by it. He might even assume that she was referring to her moments of depression when she had been recovering from her permanent transformation. She felt badly about putting him through that. The things she had said and done would forever haunt her, from trying to saw her own horns off to attempting to crush Lily's egg . . . Oh, that last one made her absolutely sick. If she were to encounter her past self by some form of magic, she'd promptly slap her several times, shouting "STUPID CLAIRE! STUPID, STUPID CLAIRE!".

But that was all in the past. Claire was a mother now, and that meant that she was also a dinosaur for Lily's sake. She didn't want to lie to her baby girl, but how was she supposed to tell Lily that she was born from someone who used to be human? Well, it wouldn't be hard to explain the metaphysical aspect, since Lily was used to magic and dragons and all sorts of things, but how would she feel if she knew that her mother was not a natural-born dinosaur? Would she question her own value? Claire didn't like to think about it. Of course, she would inevitably slip up and disclose her secret unintentionally, because it was a hard thing to keep hidden. Then again, Ellie had done a good job of altering people's memories in the past, so . . .

"Ah!"

Claire screeched to a halt as she almost collided with Vivian on the road. She stumbled backwards and landed on her rump.

"Vivian! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention. Owen thinks I need headlights . . ."

Vivian snorted.

"He just wants to claim that he drives a hybrid."

Claire smiled.

"Yeah, probably. How are you?"

"Good."

Claire narrowed her eyes. Vivian sounded . . . nervous. Looking around, Claire saw a green reptile skittering into the woods. She peeked over Vivian's shoulder nosily.

"Is that Sarah?"

Vivian gulped.

"Yes."

Claire laughed.

"What, are you two on a date or something?"

Vivian turned her head away. Slowly, Claire's eyes went wide.

" _Were_ you on a date? . . ."

Vivian bit her lip.

"Don't tell Zara."

Claire blinked.

" _Zara_? What on Earth does this have to do with _Zara_?"

Vivian grimaced.

"Oh, I don't know. I've been really hard on her lately because of Vic, so if she finds out about this, she'll tease me as revenge."

Claire shook her head.

"No, Vivian. I don't think Zara is a homophobe. Incidentally, you shouldn't tease her about her relationship. It's just a matter of courtesy."

Vivian frowned.

"But don't you think it's weird that she's with Vic?"

"Yes, but I don't say anything to her face. She's happy, and I don't want to take that away from her."

"Says the girl who refused to let her listen to music at work."

Claire frowned.

"Vivian . . ."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Vivian bleated, "I just tease other people because-"

"You're insecure?"

"No!" Vivian snapped, "I tease people because I find it hard to be polite in awkward situations. I need to be brutally honest, or I feel like I'm lying."

"There's a difference between lying and not saying every little thing that's on your mind," Claire lectured.

Vivian sighed petulantly.

"I know, I know. Are you going to blab?"

Claire shook her head.

"It's none of my business. I'm only interested because I'm your friend. Do you know Sarah well?"

Vivian smiled whimsically.

"I only really got to know her today. She bought me fries, and . . . well, you know how much I like fries. Anyway, we got to talking, and we figured out that we both . . ."

Vivian waved her front foot. Claire smiled.

"I know what you mean. Continue."

"Anyway, we decided to go out for dinner. It went well, and . . . Well, I want to see Sarah again. I really like her. She's fun. And she knows a lot about skateboarding and taxidermy and all sorts of weird stuff."

Claire smiled.

"Well, that's great. I'm glad you're happy."

Vivian nodded.

"Just promise me you won't tell Zara."

"I won't!" Claire insisted, "Stop being paranoid. I'm not a jerk."

Vivian opened her mouth, but Claire placed her front foot over it.

"If you're going to make a remark about how I used to be a bitch, please reconsider."

Vivian exhaled.

"You're right. I'm terrible at holding back my opinions. I guess I shouldn't complain. You only got bad once you found out that you could change into a dinosaur, according to Elkay."

Claire gave a quiet rumble and kicked up dirt awkwardly.

"She told you about that? It's kind of personal."

Vivian snorted.

"If you think _that's_ bad, you should hear her explanation for why Lowery owns cat ears."

Claire's eye twitched.

"If it has anything to do with Karen, I don't want to know."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire was good at keeping her promises. Well, not the vague or insignificant ones, like "I promise to be nice" or "I promise not to drop this chinchilla", but as far as Vivian's secret was concerned, she was doing just fine. Vivian, however, was not. She had become her own worst enemy.

The morning after the secret date, Claire, Karen, Lowery, Zara, Vic, and Vivian (of course) met up for brunch at the Nublar Café. Claire didn't give the impression that she was hiding something, because it wasn't really that big of a deal, but the problem was that Vivian was shooting her uncomfortable looks. Claire tried to ignore it, but everyone could tell that something was up by the way Vivian's eye twitched. Plus, she looked about ready to crack. Claire felt like slamming her foot on the table and shouting "I'm not going to give away your secret, goddamn it!", but that would be counterproductive. In any case, it wouldn't be long before Vivian gave it away on her own. Perhaps it would be best to distract everyone from her suspicious behavior.

"So, Karen, what does it feel like to be engaged?" Claire trilled pleasantly.

"Exciting. But this isn't my first time, you know," Karen sassed, "I'd say I beat you to it, even if the first marriage didn't go so well."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"It's not a race. Plus, I had my first child earlier in my marriage than you did."

Karen quirked a brow.

"First? Do you plan to have more?"

Claire smiled.

"We'll see how things go. My primary goal is for Lily to have a good life. If Owen thinks that we can handle another child, we'll go ahead and have one."

Vivian cringed.

"Oh, god. You want to put _two_ freaky hybrids on this Earth?"

Claire tried not to let her anger show.

"Yes, Vivian. It's my choice. It's not like I'm going to _lie_ about it."

Picking up on her not-so-subtle hint, Vivian lowered her head.

"Yeah, okay."

Karen took an awkward sip of her tea.

"Yeah, it would be nice if my future baby could have someone to play with. Lily might be a little too old for him or her by the time he or she is able to walk."

Claire smiled.

"Have you picked out a name yet?"

Karen shook her head.

"Not yet, but whatever happens, we won't let Lowery name the baby."

"Why not?"

"He suggested 'Yoda'."

Lowery huffed.

"I never said it _had_ to be Yoda."

Vivian rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god, Lowery! You're such a nerd!"

Claire gave her a meaningful stare.

"Don't be rude, Vivian."

"That's hardly relevant!" Vivian snapped, "It has nothing to do with-"

She paused.

"-anything."

Everyone but Claire and Vivian shared looks of puzzlement.

"What do you mean, Vivian?" Lowery asked.

"Nothing!" Vivian squawked, "It's none of your business."

Zara gave her a concerned look.

"If something's wrong, you can tell us. _Is_ something the matter?"

Vivian snorted angrily.

"Oh, wouldn't _you_ like to know!"

Zara leaned backwards, shocked and a little hurt.

"I would. We're friends. I don't want you to be upset."

Vivian slammed both of her feet on the table.

"You _do_! You'd love it if I gave you a reason to tease me!"

Zara shook her head rapidly.

"Vivian, whatever it is, I won't make fun of you. Why would I joke about something that's upsetting you?"

" _You're_ the one who's upsetting me!" Vivian snarled.

Claire pulled her back into her seat.

"Whoa, Vivian. Calm down. Zara hasn't _done_ anything."

"She would! She would, if she knew!"

"Knew what?" Zara asked fearfully.

"I'M DATING SARAH!"

Claire slapped her forehead. Zara blinked cluelessly and rubbed her chin.

"Sarah . . ."

"The postodon," Claire said calmly.

Zara lifted her head.

"Ooooooh. The one with the blue scarf?"

Claire nodded. Zara smiled supportively.

"Well, she seems like a lot of fun. When did this happen?"

Vivian narrowed her eyes.

"Don't pretend to be all tolerant. I know you're waiting to make fun of me."

Zara frowned.

"Vivian, I'm not going to make fun of you, and why do you think _I'd_ do it, specifically? Wouldn't you be more concerned about Lowery knowing that you're a lesbian?"

Lowery coughed.

"I totally called it."

Vivian rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god, you're so immature. I'm bisexual, genius, and I had a legitimate reason for not wanting to start a relationship with you. Asshole."

Karen frowned.

"Watch it."

Zara made eye contact with Karen and shook her head. She then turned back to Vivian, lacing her wing-fingers together.

"Vivian, I'm sorry if I ever gave the impression that I would tease you about this. I can assure you that I'd never, ever make fun of you for being yourself."

Vivian snuffed.

"Oh, that's real big of you. We're all impressed by how much of a saint you are."

Zara frowned in distress.

"Vivian, I'm not trying to-"

Claire stood up.

"Alright, that's enough. Zara, Vivian is concerned that you'll make fun of her relationship because she's been teasing you about Vic."

Zara's jaw dropped.

"What?"

After a moment, her face pulled into a bitter sneer.

"Vivian, I'm not a _child_. I wouldn't make fun of you in retaliation. That's just- Oh my god- I don't even- I mean-"

She curled her talons angrily.

"I'm not that _petty_ , Vivian!"

"Oh, no?" she retorted, "Well, if you're not petty, why do you always talk about Claire behind her back?"

Claire turned to Zara with a questioning look, and she shook her head in response.

"I've never talked behind your back."

"Before she was a dinosaur," Vivian clarified.

Zara hummed.

"Okay, maybe once or twice, and I'm really sorry about it, but this has nothing to do with-"

Vivian stood up, knocking her chair over with her tail.

"Oh, shut up! Stop making me out to be the bad guy!"

Zara growled in warning.

"Vivian, I've literally done nothing wrong."

"But you were going to."

"I wouldn't. I don't like it when you tease me about being with Vic, but I wouldn't do the same for you. There's nothing wrong with either of our relationships."

Vivian made an offended noise.

"There _is_! You and Vic, you're both so . . . so _different_!"

Zara scoffed.

"And I suppose you'd argue that your relationship with Sarah is better because you're the same?"

Vivian charged forward and tossed her head.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means you both have vaginas."

Everyone turned as Elkay butted into the conversation from another table. She lowered her newspaper and quirked a brow.

"Well, it does . . ."

Vivian turned back to Zara, still furious.

"You're disgusting, you know that? He was going to _use_ you as a weapon."

Vic's eyes went wide.

"I . . . I should go."

Zara held him back.

"Stay."

She sneered at Vivian.

"That was a long time ago."

"And I suppose if he were to slap you, you'd say the same thing?"

Zara gave a screeching growl.

"He would _never_ hit me!"

"How do you know?" Vivian retorted, "He used to be married. He isn't anymore. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"Vic has changed! You know nothing about him!"

"He's just pretending! People can't change!"

"They can!"

"They can't!"

Claire stamped her foot.

"Stop it!"

The two feuding parties ignored her. They were inches away from each other, but their voices were loud enough to be heard from a significant distance, making it very awkward for the miscellaneous dinosaurs at nearby tables.

"You bitch! How dare you make assumptions about my boyfriend?"

" _Assumptions_? He tried to _kill_ us!"

"That was before he changed!"

Vic tugged on Zara's wing.

"Don't defend me . . ."

Vivian flipped the table with her crest.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Zara shrilled.

"Liar! You're pathetic! You're only staying with Vic because you're desperate for someone to love you!"

"So what!" Zara shouted, "If you knew what it's like to be a monster, you'd forgive him too!"

Zara wheeled around suddenly and dove from the balcony. She flew towards the lagoon, sobbing miserably. Vic ran after her, moving as fast as his plump, stubby legs could take him.

"Zara! Zara, wait!"

Claire took a deep breath and turned to Vivian.

"You really outdid yourself this time. I didn't think you had it in you. You'd better pray that this damage is repairable."

Vivian gulped.

"Well, you used to-"

Claire lifted her foot.

"Don't. Nothing you say will change the fact that you did something wrong. Just because other people make mistakes doesn't give you the right to justify your own shortcomings. Goodbye, Vivian."

Claire turned to leave. Vivian watched her with a quivering lip, then ran away as well. Lowery and Karen stared down at the flipped table, still in their seats. After a moment, Karen hummed.

"Did she ever indicate that she was . . . _you know_ . . ."

Lowery shrugged.

"I saw her eating a cantaloupe, once."

***TSJWFEW***

Apologizing wasn't an easy thing to do, especially in a situation like Vivian's. She knew for a fact that she had gone too far, and additionally, it was her fault that any of this had happened in the first place. She had just been so disgusted with Zara that she hadn't really thought things through. She was still grossed out by her relationship, but what was really important was that her friend was okay.

She journeyed to the lagoon, only to find that Zara was absent. After a lengthy search, Vivian discovered that she was backstage at the Nublar Theatre. She took a deep breath and knocked on her dressing room door.

"Who is it?" Zara called from inside the room.

"Before you say anything, please hear me out."

"Vivian?"

"Yeah, it's me," Vivian sighed, "I'm really sorry for what I said. All of it. It's not my place to judge. I guess I was just upset because . . . Well, I'm a tiny bit jealous. Vic loves you unconditionally, but Brad . . . I mean, he still loved me, don't get me wrong, but . . ."

Vivian took a shaky breath.

"He's not like Vic or Owen. When he looked at me, he didn't see _just_ Vivian: he saw Vivian in a dinosaur's body. But that's not what I am. I'm still Vivian. I'm still me."

She sniffled.

"He just couldn't get past it. He loved me, but he didn't love me enough. You said earlier that I didn't know what it was like to feel like a monster. That's not entirely true. When I was around Brad, I felt like a stupid, simple animal. I know I said that Claire and Owen were being gross, but I kind of hoped that Brad would . . . I mean . . ."

Her lip started quivering.

"Oh, Vivian," Zara whispered.

"He was repulsed by me," she continued, "I just wanted someone to see me for who I am, not . . . oh . . ."

Vivian stated crying. She lay down on her belly and placed her front feet over her eyes. Zara opened the door and looked down at her with pity. Gently, she scooped her up and gave her a hug.

"Shhh . . . It's okay . . ."

She patted Vivian's back until she stopped crying. When she regained her ability to speak, Vivian sniffled loudly and wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Zara. I've been awful."

Zara shook her head.

"No, no. Don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, Vic was more distressed about it than _I_ was. He doesn't like to see me upset, so once I started crying, he did too. I couldn't get him to shut up for hours. He's baking guilt cookies right now."

Vivian sighed shakily.

"Forget everything I said. He's a nice man and you're lucky to have him."

Zara gave a half-smile.

"Well, you have Sarah now, so I'm sure you'll be just as happy."

Vivian gulped.

"Oh, god. She'll probably have heard about what I did. I have no chance with her now."

Zara shrugged.

"Well, if she judges you for it, I'm sure I could clear things up for you."

Vivian sniffled.

"You shouldn't be so nice to me after what I did."

Zara laughed quietly.

"We're friends. Friends forgive each other."

Vivian hugged Zara's belly.

"I don't deserve a friend like you."

Zara patted her head.

"Don't worry about it. As long as we love each other . . . erm, platonically . . . everything will be alright."


	78. Cheat Or Repeat

Sometimes, stories pop right the hell out of nowhere. Elkay knew this well, having been an author and narrator for a very long time. Actually, she knew many things about the Neoverse and how it functioned. It was only natural, since she had created it. Back on the subject of stories happening by accident, that very thing was about to occur, although Elkay didn't know it yet. The perceptive reader might now wonder why this would be mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, since Elkay was supposedly writing the story at this time, and would have no reason to be unaware of what was going on. The truth of the matter was that she was no longer narrating in realtime, because (as previously mentioned) the story that you are about to be told was not supposed to happen. But more on that later.

It was around noon, or maybe morning, when Elkay skipped up to Ellie in her office. She smiled pleasantly and folded her paws on her lap as she sat down. Her posture and mien indicated that she was about to ask for a favor.

"Ellie, dear, I need to check on something. Can you allow me to access the metadata of the Neoverse?"

Ellie shook her head.

"No. I don't want to use my powers frivolously."

Elkay frowned.

"You're lying, Ellie."

"So what?"

Elkay folded her ears back.

"Did it ever occur to you that it might be harmful to lie, given your situation? I know why you don't want to use magic: you're afraid of your own power."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it? I'd be concerned too, if I was able to break my own barricades unconsciously."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Elkay drummed her claws on the desk impatiently.

"That's funny, because if _I_ were to accidentally switch to my evil alter ego and slaughter a colony of gorillas, I think I'd remember it quite vividly."

Ellie trembled.

"You _said_ it. Why'd you _say_ it? No one had to know."

"Relax, Ellie. This isn't being narrated."

Which later became a lie, of course.

"I'm infinitely concerned about you, but let's not worry about that right now," Elkay said calmly, "I need to check on an aspect of the story. It's important."

Ellie folded her wings over her shoulders in shame.

"I'm afraid to use my magic . . ."

Elkay patted her head.

"That's okay. There are other ways to access the unseen mechanisms of my world. Do you still have those plotholes ready?"

Ellie shook her head.

"I obliterated them. I saw no need to keep them around, now that the first main story is over."

Elkay hummed.

"Alright, we'll use one of mine. Anachronisms count, by the way."

She lifted her head and spoke in a clear, loud voice.

"If Claire was thirty years old during the events of Jurassic World, and Karen is the younger sibling in our canon, she would have had to have given birth at a very young age."

A dark rift appeared out of midair and started to expand. Elkay struck it with magic, and it became frozen in place.

"There. Do you want to come with me, Ellie?"

Ellie rubbed the back of her neck timidly.

"Maybe . . ."

"It'll be fun."

Ellie sighed and stood up, marching slowly towards the frozen plot hole. She poked it gently, then flicked her hand with boredom.

"Should we fix this, afterwards?"

Elkay shook her head.

"I can't think of any way to justify this one. It won't harm the world if we ignore it, though. It's like any other mistake: if we choose to turn the blind eye, it won't affect our reality. That's why the Star Wars prequels are allowed to exist, heaven help us. But enough about that. Follow me, and I'll show you something really cool."

They hopped through the rift and entered a pitch-black world. Elkay stood up on her hind legs and lifted her arms grandly.

"Awake!"

Suddenly, the air was filled with strange, glowing objects. Ellie stared at them with fascination. Billions of marble-sized spheres floated every which way. Some of them were attached to each other with strings of light. These joined structures spun around at different speeds. Ellie ducked under a fast-moving duo and followed Elkay through the mess.

"What am I looking at, exactly?"

Elkay smiled.

"Destiny Knots. You'll hear cynics say that love is not real, that it's only chemicals in our brains. That's partly true, but in the land of Fiction, certain people are destined to be together forever."

She called over a spinning structure.

"The attached spheres represent the joining of a couple. In order for them to start spinning, an event of significant emotional connection must occur. For example . . ."

She called over a destiny knot that was spinning so fast that it was practically a blur.

"This one belongs to Claire and Owen. It started spinning once they kissed on Tall Mountain. Eponymicus erased their memories, however, so the bond was broken. Their Life Orbs stayed close together, and later became attached when they decided to . . . well, to stick together for survival. They started spinning again during their wedding."

Ellie nodded.

"That's interesting. Why did we need to see this?"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"I'm getting to that."

She called over several knots.

"Let's see . . . Lowery/Karen, Vivian/Sarah . . ."

She folded her ears back suddenly.

"Crap."

"What?" Ellie asked cluelessly.

"Vic and Zara's knot isn't spinning yet. Their orbs are connected, but . . ."

Ellie saw the knot that Elkay was talking about. The spheres were attached, but they remained motionless. Ellie poked them gently, but they did nothing but drift away lazily.

"Why do you want them to spin?"

Elkay sighed.

"The sooner we can solidify this new group's identity, the sooner we can leave the old one behind."

Ellie blinked.

"Pardon?"

"You and Alan, Henry and Seri, Ian and Sarah, Robin and Yannick. That's the old group. We don't want to tell their stories anymore because . . . Well, frankly, I'm your friend now, and it's uncomfortable to put you through that shit. We should be focusing on the Jurassic World characters. Otherwise, it's just uncomfortable."

Ellie nodded.

"I guess so. The problem is that Claire is a part of our world now. She knows that she's in a story, to some degree. She'll be looking to her God for guidance."

Elkay closed her eyes.

"Just like you looked to your narrator. In a way, the narrator is the god of the story. For me, it was more literal, but you know what I mean. Trouble is, when you meet your creator, you realize a lot of things. You discover that every doubt you had about your faith was absolutely founded. What loving god would allow their creations to suffer like this, after all?"

Ellie swallowed nervously.

"But it's for their own good."

"Does the end justify the means?" Elkay asked rhetorically, "I'll tell you a secret, Ellie. Prophecy exists."

"I know. I've always wondered why you don't consult it."

"I'll tell you _exactly_ why," Elkay stressed, "If you discover your fate, it won't make a difference. When you try to change it, you will only seal it, because the will of The Star is absolute. What will happen will happen, and our ability to control our destinies is only an illusion. I'm sure you'd rather not know, so that you won't dream of another end to your story. It's better to be surprised by tragedy than to see it coming when it cannot be avoided."

Ellie took a deep breath.

"Do you know what The Star wants?"

Elkay shook her head.

"If you don't, I don't. But it's trying to make something happen. I don't pay attention to prophecy, Ellie, but my mother does. She told me that there will be a Queen who restores balance to the Neoverse. She is supposedly many things at once, whatever _that_ means."

Ellie laughed.

"That sounds like Cl-"

She froze.

". . . Oh my god. Do you think-"

Elkay shook her head.

"No. It can't be Claire. According to another prophecy, she will be killed before your reign is over."

Ellie frowned.

"And she'll be defeated by a creature that was not woman-born, of course."

Elkay nodded.

"Of course. But we don't know when that will happen. For now, let's focus on the present. We'd better get back to Isla Nublar. If we don't keep things under control, it will be chaos and anarchy. Let's not forget to close the plothole behind us."

Ellie smiled.

"Speaking of plotholes, what's going to happen when Colin Trevorrow decides to make a sequel? What'll happen to our canon then?"

Elkay shrugged.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, there's no risk of unintended consequences as far as storytelling goes."

She did not notice that her tail had accidentally severed a Destiny Knot as she swung it back and forth on her way out.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen smiled and pushed Lily on her swing. She laughed, kicking her feet merrily.

"Higher!"

Owen pushed her again.

"Too high! Too high!"

Owen rolled his eyes and pushed her more gently.

"Make up your mind, Lily."

She cheered and wagged her tail.

"Perfect!"

Owen turned as Claire appeared from the portal machine. She thundered over to him, removing her white blazer hurriedly.

"I am so, so, so, so sorry!"

Owen twisted his mouth.

"For? . . ."

"For being late," Claire sighed, "I was supposed to be here three minutes ago. I'm probably working too hard."

Owen chuckled.

"Claire, three minutes hardly counts as late. Don't worry. You're a wonderful mother and we understand if you don't make it here exactly on time."

Claire rumbled guiltily.

"But you'll let me know if I start to get too work-oriented, right?"

"Of course."

Claire smiled as Owen ran his hand down her right horn.

"Thank you," she sighed, "You're probably right. I was only late because Zara misfiled a bunch of forms. She's been very distraught ever since she heard that Alec was getting married."

Owen blinked.

"Alec? Who the hell is Alec?"

"Her ex-fiancé."

Owen shook his head.

"I think you mean 'Steve'."

Claire gave him a sideways glance.

"No, his name is Alec."

Owen crossed his arms.

"Claire, she told me that his name was Steve."

"Maybe you're misremembering . . . or she could have lied to you."

Owen furrowed his brow.

"Why would she do that?"

"To get you to shut up. I'm guessing you were trying to see me, at the time? . . ."

Owen hummed.

"Well . . ."

"Thought so. By the way, I'm offering an apology."

"An apology?" Owen echoed.

"From Old Claire to Old Owen. I shouldn't have been so rude."

Owen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'll apologize too. I shouldn't have pestered you."

Claire smiled and curled her tail around his ankle.

"I'm _glad_ you pestered me. Otherwise, we would have gone our separate ways."

"Can you imagine? . . ."

"I don't like to think about it. But it doesn't matter, because we're together now."

Owen knelt and kissed her gently.

"I love you."

"I love you."

As they kissed again, Lily made a gagging sound, still swinging.

"Ew, you two are so gross!"

Claire laughed.

"You'll understand when you're older, sweetheart."

Lily crinkled her snout.

"I don't think so. It seems really weird to me."

Claire ran over and pulled her off of the swing, spinning around playfully.

"Is that so?"

Lily giggled.

"Yes! You're both weird!"

Owen took a running jump and stood on Claire's back.

"Yes, but we're weird together, and that's what's important."

***TSJWFEW***

Robin sighed in frustration as her youngest children scurried through her flat. They were playing tag, it seemed, and when dinosaurs played games indoors, bad things happened. Robin cringed when she heard a lamp shatter.

"Kids! Calm down. Aren't you a bit old for these games?"

Margalo squealed with excitement and ran through her legs. Robin lifted her foot as Templeton followed his sister, then she fell down with a massive crash. She changed into a human and groaned.

"Ow . . ."

Yannick jogged into the room.

"What's the matter?"

Robin stood up, brushing herself off.

"It's the kids. You could help with them, you know."

Yannick shrugged.

"I'm busy."

"With what?"

"Um . . ."

Robin rolled her eyes.

"Look, it's hard enough having one kid, but we have eight."

"The triplets moved out."

"Which leaves five. It's still pretty difficult to raise five kids alone."

Yannick waved his hand dismissively.

"Let the others babysit them. That's why we have friends."

"But they're busy."

"With?"

"More stuff than _you_ , probably."

Robin sighed and sat down on the couch, placing her palm on her forehead.

"I don't know, Yanni. Things have been difficult, recently. Henry's been looking after June, so Seri's been stuck watching Harry nonstop. It feels wrong to dump more kids on her. If anything, _we_ should be giving _her_ a break."

Yannick snorted.

"She can deal with it."

Robin crossed her arms.

"Now, that's just rude. It's our responsibility to help the Wu family. We're so close to them already . . ."

"How?"

Robin sighed.

"Oh, you know. Back when you and the others were stuck in the Purgatorium, I was practically a mother to Harry."

Yannick sniggered.

"A spinosaurus with an allosaurus mother. Imagine that! Did Henry endorse this relationship?"

"Well, we _did_ kiss one time."

Yannick went rigid.

"What? . . ."

"We decided that we should stay friends, though," Robin continued, "We really didn't see each other as anything else."

Yannick gulped.

"You . . . You cheated on me?"

Robin smirked.

"Hardly. We thought you were dead, at the time."

Yannick frowned bitterly.

"It's still cheating . . ."

Robin shot him a condescending look.

"If you want to bring up these issues, we'd better talk about what _I'm_ feeling right now. It's been ages since I've had any time to myself. You never take the kids out, except when you have to. This is a team effort. Can't we work together?"

Yannick's brow became furrowed.

"I guess we've proved that we can't, given this new information."

Robin scoffed.

"Unbelievable! You're honestly blaming me for kissing someone _one time_? We didn't even go through with our relationship!"

"Maybe _we_ shouldn't either."

Robin's eyes went wide.

"What do you mean?"

"I want a divorce."

***TSJWFEW***

The news spread like wildfire. It wasn't long before Robin and Yannick's divorce became the talk of the town. Of course, the discussion was limited to quiet whispers and shared looks of subtle worry, but it was definitely present. Some noticed it more than others. Zara, for instance, was a good friend of Robin's, so she had to deal with a lot of sobbing. Elkay, too, was affected by the news. Robin had always been one of her favorite characters, and it hurt to see her so upset. When she found out that it was by her own doing that the knot had become undone, Elkay practically broke. Depressed and in need of a friend, she summoned Mo'nique. Her zebra companion trotted up to her as she lay by a pond, utterly miserable.

"Hey, girl. Wanna talk?"

Elkay did not move.

"I've screwed things up."

"It's not your fault."

"It is. It's my fault that Robin is getting divorced and it's my fault that Ellie is changing."

Mo'nique sat down beside her.

"Don't say that. You couldn't have known."

"I shouldn't have involved myself with their affairs. Self-insert characters always suck the realism out of novels."

Mo'nique folded one leg over the other.

"Can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"I've been reading your story. It's alright."

"Thank you."

"I've noticed something. Events go in cycles."

Elkay shifted her head, moving it through the grass slowly.

"What are you referring to, specifically?"

Mo'nique handed Elkay a sheet of paper.

"I heard this on my way here."

Elkay read the note.

 _"You two are so cute together! Do you think you'll ever get married?"_

 _"It's legal here, so probably."_

 _"Can I ask you something? It might be a stupid question."_

 _"Go ahead."_

 _"Which last name will you take?"_

 _"Dunno. Sarah's, probably."_

 _"But yours is easier to spell."_

 _"Uh . . . Not really."_

 _". . . It is, though. How do you even spell Kolodinsky?"_

 _"Kolodinsky? I thought her last name was 'Brown'!"_

Mo'nique smiled.

"You see? It's like before. It may not be _exactly_ the same, but if it was, life would be . . . well, boring. There will always be Robins. Maybe not the Robins you're used to, but Robins all the same. If you think you've lost something, all you really need to do is look at what you have. You'll see that the love you're looking for is never truly gone."

"And Ellie?" Elkay whispered, "What of her? She cannot be replaced."

"As far as you know," Mo'nique said with a smile, "But even if you lose Ellie, she'll live on in some form, and you won't have to be alone."

"Are you sure?"

Mo'nique nodded.

"No one deserves to feel unloved, and no one has to. It's all part of life. And life is just the beginning."


	79. Pyro

"Dragon! Dragon! There's a dragon on Isla Nublar!"

Elkay peeked down from her napping tree as Vic Hoskins came running down the road in his usual clumsy way. He stopped in front of her, breathing heavily and sweating like a newt.

"There's a dragon . . . on Isla Nublar . . ." he panted.

Elkay raised her eyebrow.

"There are two. Me and my mother."

Vic shook his head.

"No, this one is different. He's male."

Elkay grinned and hopped down from the tree.

"I'll bet it's my grandson. He's due for a visit. The dragon was black and white, correct?"

Vic shook his head.

"No, he was brown. He said his name was Pyro."

Elkay pricked her ears.

"Pyro! . . . Oh, he's probably here to see Ellie, isn't he?" she mumbled.

Vic shook his head.

"He's looking for you, I think. But he didn't call you 'Elkay'. Do you have another name?"

Elkay's eyes went wide.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Pyro is looking for _me_ . . . Did he say what it was about? Is he mad?"

Vic shook his head.

"I don't think so. He seemed happy enough."

Elkay felt her heart flutter.

"He . . . Oh, this is _exciting_!"

Vic nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure he doesn't attack us or anything."

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"Vic, not all dragons are like my mother. Some of us aren't born to manipulate those who are stupid enough to follow us."

Vic gulped and laced his fingers together.

"I'm sorry."

Elkay patted his head.

"It's okay, Vic. Thank you for telling me that he was here. Do you want a favor in return?"

Vic shook his head.

"Gosh, I don't think I could accept a gift . . . Actually, can you tell me where to find pretty wildflowers? I want to surprise Zara."

Elkay waved her tail, and a beautiful bouquet appeared in Vic's arms.

"Here you go," she said dismissively, "Get that knot spinning, my friend."

As Elkay took off, Vic smiled and hugged the bouquet.

"Friend! . . . I have _friends_!"

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay found Pyro sitting by the Visitors' Center Palace. He turned as he heard the wind rattling the skin on her wings. When he smiled at her, Elkay felt her heart melting. She landed and ran up to him immediately, giving him a hug.

"Pyro! Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you in ages!"

He chuckled and pressed his neck against hers.

"It hasn't been _that_ long. I saw you in Australia, remember?"

Elkay folded her ears shyly.

"We hardly spoke. But we have time to talk now. If you're free, that is."

He smiled warmly.

"Of course I am. I came here to see you, and I intend to make use of this time."

"Won't the Army of Peace be missing you?" Elkay asked, brushing her paw against her front leg shyly.

Pyro laughed.

"No, they won't. The funny thing about having an army during a time of prosperity is that your job is pretty much useless. But that's a good thing. Asterpara is safe and sound."

Elkay curled her tail delicately behind her in a somewhat flirtatious gesture.

"Thanks to you."

"And you. You were a wonderful ruler."

Elkay's smile disappeared.

"I-"

"Don't try to be humble about it. I've read your story, and I know how you feel about yourself. You're wrong. None of us suffered under your rule. Whatever personal issues you faced, they didn't show in your leadership. If you hadn't written about your inner turmoil, I'm sure no one would have noticed."

Elkay flattened her ears shyly.

"That's sweet of you to say."

Pyro curled his tail around hers.

"I've missed you, you know."

Elkay nodded.

"I've missed you too. I wanted to meet up, but I was too ashamed. I've change so much since we were together last."

Pyro placed his paw on hers.

"Have you? I'm not so sure."

Elkay took a shaky breath.

"I don't know. You always had too much faith in me."

"My faith was founded. Who else could have defeated Xyphon but the amazing LK?"

Elkay sighed. Her face showed exhaustion, perhaps built up over several millennia.

"That was a long time ago. If I were to try a stunt like that now, I'd be killed in a millisecond. The dragon I used to be is long gone."

Pyro cocked his head.

"I don't think she is. She's still inside of you. You just need to remember how it was . . ."

Elkay looked into his eyes.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

Pyro nodded.

"Walking would be nice."

***TSJWFEW***

The two dragons journeyed across the island, examining every landmark from the herrerasaur colony to the sandy cliffs. They reached Raptor Valley at sunset. Elkay had saved the best for last, and she was relieved to see that Pyro was not getting tired of her blabbering.

"Ellie said that Delta is going to be played by Jessica Chastain, and I asked her if that would get confusing since she looks like Bryce Dallas Howard. She said that that was the point. Sometimes, I think she's even sillier than _I_ am. Would you like to meet her?"

"Already have," Pyro stated proudly, "As Marshall, it's important that I know my Queen."

Elkay nodded.

"Right, right. I'm sure she'd be busy anyway . . ."

As they strolled through the valley, however, they saw that Ellie was not preoccupied with running the Universe, nor any other significant task. She had changed into a raptor, and was sharing a meal with Kipper and his family. Bucky seemed to be a part of the dinner party as well. He shoved his face into a parasaurolophus carcass and came out with intestines wrapped around his neck. Ellie grimaced. Kipper said something to her, and she started laughing. Elkay stared at the scene wistfully.

"What are you thinking?" Pyro asked.

"It's funny . . . When I'm not around, she seems to be . . . Well, she seems to be _herself_. I haven't seen her like this for a while. It's like an echo of the Ellie I used to know . . ."

She sighed.

"Before _she_ knew _me_ ," she muttered bitterly, "Have I ruined her forever?"

Pyro shook his head.

"If she's still acting normal around her other friends, you haven't done anything wrong."

Elkay closed her eyes.

"I've done plenty of things wrong. But maybe I can make it right. What should I do, Pyro?"

He looked at her with an expression that showed a hint of guilt.

"Come back to Asterpara with me. You can take your egg with you. I don't mind raising someone else's child."

Elkay was stunned by his proposal. She stumbled backwards and spread her wings in panic.

"Pyro . . . Oh my god . . ."

"Please, don't turn me down right away," he said quickly, "I know it's an important decision, and I don't want you to rush into it. But think about how good it would be for you and I . . . for the egg . . . for Ellie. Promise me you'll consider it, at least."

Elkay folded her wings behind her back and avoided looking into his eyes.

"I will . . . and I . . . Look, you know I'd like to do it. But I've made a life here. Maybe not a proper life . . ."

She shook her head.

"I'm going to shut up now. I'll leave, and when I've decided, I'll tell you."

Pyro nodded solemnly.

"I probably shouldn't say this, because I don't want to pressure you into anything, but you should know that I love you. I always have."

Elkay pressed her cheek against his.

"I never stopped loving you . . ."

She pulled away suddenly.

"I should go before I make a decision that I don't intend to stick to. I'll see you later . . . or not . . ."

She rushed away before he could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

***TSJWFEW***

Elkay was alone in the hatchery. Well, alone with her egg. It still hadn't hatched, and it was hard to guess how far along it was in its cycle. Hybrids were unpredictable, after all. Elkay knew this well, since she had had many, many children. It was different each time.

But it always ended the same way.

Elkay ran her paw over the egg pensively. Letting out a miserable groan, she rested her cheek on the convex roof and allowed her ears to hang in sorrow.

"What about you? What do _you_ think I should do?"

The egg, unsurprisingly, did not reply. Elkay tapped it gently with her beak.

"Hey. Can you hear me in there? Do you want a dragon father? I don't know if I can raise you alone . . ."

She rolled over and rubbed her chin, staring at the white ceiling.

"Or _can_ I? I raised Christabelle alone, after all. Oh, but that was back when I was sensible."

Elkay stood on the table where her egg was perched and put her paws on its sides. She tested the weight of her soon-to-be child and clicked her tongue.

"You're not too heavy. I can carry you back easily. I might not even drop you."

She placed the egg back on the table suddenly and shook her head.

"Shit! I'm already making decisions!"

She leapt across the room and banged her head against the wall repeatedly.

"Crap, crap, crap! I've already chosen, haven't I? I want this so badly . . ."

She slumped over and placed her chin on her paws.

". . . but I love Ellie. I still need to write her story. I _could_ do it from Asterpara, though. Yeah, that'll be-"

She clutched her head.

"No, this is all wrong! I have to finish what I started!"

She stood up and looked out the window.

"I hate this. I hate this so much. Why did I ever decide to come here in the first place? I shouldn't have gotten involved with Ellie. I've made a mess of things. But what's the proper solution? Should I try to repair the damage actively, or leave this world and hope that it heals itself?"

"You should stay."

Elkay whipped around. A green, striped felidragon was sitting on the table with broken egg shards at his feet. He looked stunningly similar to Donophrion, only infinitely younger. He also had two heads.

Elkay dashed over to the hatchling and ran her claws through one of his manes.

"I missed your birth!"

The baby shook his right head.

"Don't feel badly. I was going to wait for a few more days, but I figured you needed my advice now. In my opinion, you should stay with Ellie. Pyro seems nice, but there's nothing wrong with the way you're running things here."

Elkay cackled bitterly.

"Stupid child! Haven't you seen what I'm capable of doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Elkay scoffed.

"Well, Ellie's gone crazy."

"Because of the Ekaskrøn."

"Which I created."

"Accidentally."

Elkay spread her wings angrily.

"Don't be petulant! I'm making everyone miserable!"

The child leaned forward and slapped her, scowling with both faces.

"Man the fuck up. Instead of bitching about it, _do_ something!"

Elkay blinked.

"Such language . . ."

The baby paced back and forth.

"Look, I know you're not able to see yourself objectively, because you always think you're one step away from disaster, but I'm telling you, you've become your own worst enemy. This decision is based on fear. You're running away again. Haven't you learned that fleeing is foolish?"

"But people are happier without me."

"Untrue. You can make people _very_ happy if you try. Running away won't do anything but make you look bad."

Elkay sighed.

"Just wait until I raise you. You'll see how wrong you are."

The baby kicked his tail to the side and hopped up on her face, grabbing her cheeks with his tiny, sharp claws.

"Listen to me: leaving is a mistake. You're doing a Stupid again. Don't do a Stupid."

Elkay growled, but the child dug his claws deeper into her scales.

"Your brain is telling you to leave, yes? Well, your brain is dumb and so are you. Just do the opposite of what you think is best, and you'll be making the right decision."

Elkay frowned.

"You're a persistent little bugger, aren't you?"

The felidragon stared her down. Elkay folded her ears back and peeled him off of her face.

"Fine. You win. I'll stay."

The baby cheered and clapped his hands, hopping from one foot to the other.

"Hooray! You finally did something right!"

Elkay rolled her eyes.

"I think I'm going to hate you."

"That's only natural. Every parent resents their child somewhat."

Elkay snorted.

"You take after me, alright. Do you have a name, kiddo?"

The baby smiled.

"You wanted to name me Voxlemnion, right?"

"You can choose your own name."

"I'll choose what you want. That's one decision I can live with."

Elkay smiled and picked him up.

"Then you shall be named Voxlemnion."

He climbed onto her head and smiled.

"By the way, it's hard to have two minds awake at once," he said, "Which one would you prefer I use?"

"Do they think the same way?"

"Yes."

"Then it doesn't matter."

One of his heads curled around the neck of the other and closed its eyes. It looked like a fur scarf.

"I'll alternate between my two brains. There's no use in having a dominant side. I'd like to be flexible."

"Wouldn't we all?"

Elkay left the building with Voxlemnion cradled between her horns. She cantered down the road at a brisk pace, taking care not to shake her head too much for her son's sake. His long, hanging whiskers tickled her snout as he rested his chin on her forehead.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You already did," Elkay sassed.

"Good god. I hope I don't have your sense of humor. What I was going to ask is this: what should I call you?"

"A variation on 'mother', you mean?"

"Something like that, yes."

Elkay hummed.

"Gosh, I don't know. Don't use 'Ma'. It's supposed to be reminiscent of the silence used in Japanese-"

"Novel talk later. Be a real parent."

Elkay chuckled.

"Alright. Well, if you want something to call me, call me by my name."

"Elkay?"

"My real name."

"Oh. I know you don't like it being said, so I won't use it when you're narrating."

Elkay smiled.

"Thank you. You're a very considerate boy."

Voxlemnion grinned and slid backwards down her snout.

"Not as considerate as you are. I know how much this means to you."

Elkay shrugged casually.

"Anything for my child."


	80. Summer's End

**Five Years After The Events Of Jurassic World**

The tropical rain fell in drenching sheets, hammering the corrugated roof of the clinic building, roaring down the metal gutters, splashing on the ground in a torrent. Elkay sighed, and stared out the window.

"Never start your story with the weather, Vox. Were you asleep during Writing 101?"

The adolescent felidragon looked up from his typewriter and gave her a sardonic look.

"Mother, I think you've become somewhat removed from reality."

"What do you mean?"

"If you don't know what I mean, that only proves my point."

Elkay stood up, walked over to the machine, and ripped out the page he had been in the process of writing. She crumpled it up and threw it across the room, cuffing him somewhat forcefully when she was done.

"Get rid of this garbage and try again."

Voxlemnion ran his claws through the mane of the head he was using at the moment.

"If you want me to write in your place, you're going to have to expect a few changes."

Elkay scoffed with offense.

"Changes, I can deal with. Abysmal writing, I cannot."

Voxlemnion growled like a cat that had been poked one too many times.

"You're one to talk. Who was it who started their story with a clap of thunder? You."

"I've improved since then."

"You haven't. You've gotten worse."

Elkay gave a honking laugh.

"Give me one example of how my phrasey-writing thingies are not so good."

Voxlemnion slapped his forehead.

"You're hopeless."

Slowly and with great difficulty, the eyes on his other head opened, and the limb yawned drowsily.

"Anything out of the ordinary happen while I was asleep?"

"Our mother is being difficult."

"Yes, but did anything _out of the ordinary_ happen?"

The first head sighed.

"No. It's your turn. I had something in mind for the narration, but it clearly doesn't meet the so-called standards of our dear mother. Perhaps you will have better luck."

The first head wrapped its neck around the opposite shoulder, and the other half took over.

"Right. Let's start this over, shall we?"

The door clattered open suddenly, and a very wet Ellie stormed into the room. Her feathers jutted out in clumps, and her hair was dark with moisture. She kicked the door closed behind her and marched across the clinic with a foul air. Elkay watched her, debating whether it was worth it to try and calm her down. With great reluctance, she sighed and wrapped her tail around her feet, adopting a businesslike tone of voice.

"Ellie . . ."

"Don't. I'm tired and wet and I don't need your lectures."

Elkay bit her lip.

"Let me make an umbrella for you."

Ellie whipped around, her hair spraying water across the room violently.

"With magic?"

"It's a simple barrier spell. You won't even know it's there."

Ellie placed her hands on a nearby table, leaning forward and cackling bitterly.

" _Won't know it's there. Won't know it's there._ You surprise me with how stupid you are, sometimes."

Elkay folded her ears back and took an unsteady breath.

"Let me find you a real umbrella, then."

She waddled across the room and opened a large cupboard, searching it delicately. When she felt a handle of some kind, she pulled it out. What she had discovered was not an umbrella, but rather, a staff with a tooth or maybe a claw fastened to it. Elkay twirled it around in her paws sentimentally.

"How did _this_ get here?"

She tapped it on the ground, letting it bounce back into her hand with a jovial spirit.

"Remember this, Ellie?"

With a hateful glare, Ellie lifted her head and clenched her teeth.

"No, I don't. I really, really don't."

Elkay gulped and placed it on the ground. She rooted through the cupboard again, this time finding a staff with a cloudy, orange stone on the end.

"But you remember _this_ one, right? . . ."

Ellie balled her hands into fists.

"I . . . remember . . . _nothing_."

Elkay felt her heart sinking into her belly. With a slow nod, she placed the staff beside its twin.

"That's okay, Ellie. We all forget, sometimes."

Ellie slammed her fist on the table, making everyone jump. Elkay leaned backwards as she began to laugh in a disconcerting way.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" she whispered.

"Forgetting . . . It hurts. You wouldn't realize that it's hurting, because pain numbs with time, but that pain is the only thing keeping us from becoming monsters."

Elkay caught Voxlemnion's eye. She flicked her ear to the side. He nodded and left the room, taking his typewriter with him. When he was gone, Elkay changed her shape and walked up to Ellie as a human.

"Is that why Claire left? Is that why you sent her away?"

Ellie pushed various utensils to the floor, clearing the table noisily.

"SHE LEFT ON HER OWN! I TOLD HER THE TRUTH, AND SHE RAN FROM IT!"

Elkay whimpered.

"Ellie . . ."

"You think it was easy for me, wiping Lily's memory like that? How do you pick and choose what's suitable for a person to remember? Claire didn't understand. She thought that she was protecting Lily."

"But when Lily realized-"

Elkay fell silent as Ellie made a threatening gesture.

"The _truth_ is that Claire was a human. She was not born a stegoceratops, and her child is not pure. But that's not the point. She didn't ask for reality. She asked for perfection. To her, Lily would always be her perfect little girl, and knowing about her mother's faults would harm that image. She had me crush her memories. Not store them: crush them. They no longer exist. Every time Lily came close to discovering what she was, I destroyed any chance of her reaching that truth. She was lied to, simply because I had been altering what she was allowed to remember. But Claire didn't care what measures I took. All she wanted was for her baby to feel wanted. She thought that she could get away with it. But I proved her wrong. I showed her what it was like. For a moment, only a moment, I took back her memories of being a stegoceratops. I let her hold Lily while her mind was anchored to the past. When that moment was done, I gave her back what I had taken, but I let her remember what she had been thinking in those few seconds. I let her _wallow_ in the repulsion she felt as she gazed in horror at the child whom she did not recognize as her own. I made her feel hatred towards her own daughter, and in doing so, I proved that she was capable of despising that which she treasured. She was furious with me. Why wouldn't she be? The truth is never pleasant. Now she will live life knowing that she could have hated her daughter, knowing that her entire world is revolving around a lie."

Tears streamed down Elkay's cheeks.

"Ellie . . ."

"You think I'm a monster, but it's only because I'm telling you the truth. But you don't _believe_ me . . ."

Elkay whimpered as Ellie pulled out a scroll.

"Read this . . . _Read it_!" she roared.

Elkay took the paper from her hands, trembling all the while. She unfolded it and began to read aloud.

"Claire stood up in alarm as Owen's tears began to fall on her face. She nuzzled his cheek with her bill, but this only made him weep harder. He hugged his knees and cried into his arms miserably. Claire was greatly distressed by this. She didn't want him to be upset. She tried to moo and get his attention, but it was no use. He was shaking with anguish, and there was nothing she could do to comfort him."

Elkay lowered the scroll.

"This was when Owen allowed himself to cry. It was right before they shared their first kiss."

Ellie nodded.

"This is what happened, yes?"

Elkay frowned in confusion.

"Yes . . . it is . . ."

There was a deadly calm behind Ellie's eyes.

"This, the text, is what happened. It's all that's left."

Elkay gulped.

"What do you mean?"

Ellie took the scroll from her hands.

"I destroyed this memory, too."

Elkay put her hand over her mouth.

"No . . ."

"It's gone. I took the memories from both Owen and Claire. I held them in my hand and showed them what I was about to do. They begged me to reconsider. They didn't want to lose that moment. But I crushed them. I obliterated their shared memory, leaving nothing but empty words. I gave them a copy of the text. They read it, and they cried. But it's only a shadow of the emotion they lost. No matter what, these words will never be able to recreate the feelings of those involved. These words mean nothing. You've been wasting your time. You've been living a lie."

Elkay sobbed.

"No, Ellie, no . . ."

Ellie spread her arms.

"You see all of this? You see the world we live in? It's silly. All of it. It means nothing! Do you think that anyone will ever be able to understand how much Claire and Owen love each other? No! Claire Dearing is a stegoceratops, and Owen Grady is a human. The only two people who will ever know how much they mean to each other are the ones in the relationship. To everyone else, it's all just words on a page, and those words translate to interspecies romance. No matter how much they love each other, it will never matter, because the world takes them at face value. If there is more to their story, it will never be known."

Elkay sniffled.

"But we can tell the story-"

"We can't! You tried, and you failed!"

Elkay's lip quivered.

"I'm still trying . . ."

Ellie struck her across the face. Elkay fell into the corner of the room, sobbing heavily and shielding herself from another blow.

"It's over! Vic and Zara's knot is still motionless, and another bond has been severed!"

Elkay shook her head.

"Ellie, what happened to Lowery and Karen . . . That was _not_ part of the plan."

"You're blaming _me_?"

Elkay wiped the wetness from her eyes, but fresh tears took their place.

"I told you, Ellie. I told you it was a bad idea. Their knot wasn't strong enough. It never could have survived-"

"Then it was never meant to be!"

"No!" Elkay shrieked, "It was just the wrong time!"

"Wrong time?" Ellie rasped, "I'll tell you what was wrong about it: she was due early, and _you_ said that we needed to find a way to keep their child out of the way."

"I didn't think you'd get rid of it! Ellie, how could I have expected-"

"Because I _trusted_ you!" Ellie thundered, "I did everything you said! I went back for the raptors, I became a Queen, and I wrote a story, all because I thought we were working towards a greater goal! But it's all pointless! This story resulted in nothing, because life is nothing! We! Are! Nothing!"

Elkay's breaths grew steady, and her face hardened. She stood up slowly, but with purpose. Lifting her chin defiantly, she stared at Ellie with eyes that no longer released tears, though her cheeks still glistened in the light.

"We are not nothing. This story means something. To me, to you, and to everyone we know. It's not just silly. It never was. The idea that I didn't care was the greatest lie of all. But it was necessary. Who would ever believe me, otherwise? Who would give it a chance? I am going tell you something, Ellie, and you'd better pay attention. We can never be nothing, because nothing is the lack of something. We exist, and therefore, we have meaning."

"Meaning . . . We have no meaning. It's all pointless."

Elkay shook her head.

"It's not. I'll prove it. I'm going to take away an aspect of the story that used to mean something to you. You will do the same for me. When it is all over, we will have lost some things and gained others. But life will go on. I will prove to you that no matter what is taken away from us, The Star will not allow us to be nothing."

Ellie nodded.

"I accept. But you will be proven wrong . . . just like Claire."

***TSJWFEW***

Henry was reading when he saw Alan walking by with a box of old junk. He wouldn't have cared, ordinarily, but one object in particular caught his eye. He dropped his book and ran over, fascinated and horrified at the same time.

"You found my staff!"

Alan looked at Henry, then at the box. A long pole with a sharp fossil fastened to it was jutting out of the mess.

"Oh, _that_. Yeah, Elkay gave me this stuff so I could throw it out. She asked me to dump it by the garage landfill specifically . . . for _some_ reason."

Henry picked up the staff. He twirled it around in his claws. Alan gave him an uneasy look.

"I figured you wouldn't want it."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"Well, it seemed kind of . . . wrong. I considered donating it to the museum, but I know how much you hate being remembered as a villain."

Henry took off his glasses and placed them in the grass gently.

"Well, I don't think . . . I mean, I _did_ use it when . . . but it's not . . ."

He sighed.

"What am I trying to say? Look, this staff isn't necessarily a bad thing. You know how lonely June can get, and she'll be a teenager soon . . . this fossil contains viable DNA . . ."

Alan blinked.

"Are you saying that you want to make her a boyfriend?"

Henry shook his head.

"No, no. I'm just thinking . . . I mean, there aren't many spinosaurs around, right? It might be nice for June to have someone of her own kind . . . Not necessarily for romantic purposes, but . . ."

Henry bit his lip.

"Am I making any sense?"

Alan shook his head.

"Not really . . ."

Henry took a deep breath.

"There are dinosaurs all over the world now, and we've had to change our way of life because of it. Perhaps we could make things easier by improving the dinosaur race."

Alan frowned nervously.

"What are you saying, exactly? . . ."

Henry started pacing.

"Back when I was working at InGen, we had a system for taking care of our experiments. If there was sufficient room for a parasaurolophus, we'd make a parasaurolophus. If it needed food, we'd get it food. But the dinosaurs didn't fare well alone. It's the same with gerbils: they live longer when they have a companion."

Alan tilted his head.

"So, you want to extend June's lifespan? . . ."

Henry laughed.

"No, not exactly. I'm just saying . . . this world could use more dinosaurs. More diversity. If we help this new ecosystem along, it would be beneficial for everyone."

Alan narrowed his eyes.

"Henry . . ."

"What?"

"This isn't sounding . . . healthy . . ."

Henry frowned.

"Are you saying that I'm reverting back to my old ways? Christ, Alan! We've known each other for many, many years. Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you, but I don't trust your ambition."

Henry scowled.

"Really? You're going to just go ahead and say it? Look, this isn't about ambition. I'm not doing this for myself. I have a family now. I care about them. Part of keeping them happy is making sure that the world they live in is suitable for their needs. Normally, we wouldn't be able to change the way things are, but if we had the opportunity . . . Alan, you'd do anything for your children, correct?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't risk messing with an unpredictable system."

Henry glowered.

"God, you're just like Ian. You're so quick to dismiss anything having to do with progress, even if it would be beneficial for everyone."

"Everyone?" Alan echoed, "How can you be sure that it's beneficial for _everyone_?"

"Progress always is."

As Alan gave him a look of disapproval and concern, Henry sighed and loosened his grip on the staff.

"Alan . . . I know how you feel about this, but I swear, I'm not trying to do anything out of the ordinary. If you're completely against it, I won't go through with anything just yet."

"You shouldn't go through with it, _ever_."

Henry looked away.

"I . . . Maybe you're right, but I'd like to keep the staff, anyway. Just in case . . ."

Alan nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, Henry. But really think about what you're saying, okay?"

Henry sighed.

"Yes, I will. It would be dangerous to do otherwise."

***TSJWFEW***

When Zara entered her house (a hollowed-out baobab tree near the lagoon, courtesy of Neithhotep), she was delighted to find that everything smelled of cinnamon. She made her way to the kitchen and saw Vic pulling a giant cookie out of the oven. As soon as he noticed that she was there, he placed the tray on the counter and jumped up on her belly, clinging to her in a bizarre Vic-and-Zara hug. She could feel the warmth of his oven mitts, which was a welcomed sensation after being outside in the cold Autumn air. His tail wagging back and forth with glee, Vic nuzzled her belly, then smiled up at her with deeply innocent eyes.

"You're home early! I'm glad I get to spend more time with you, but I didn't get a chance to decorate my baking. Promise you'll act surprised when I finish it off . . ."

Zara laughed and rolled onto her back.

"I promise, you silly old thing!"

Vic slipped down her chest and gave her a kiss. She smiled as she kissed him back, running her pterosaur talons down his tail. They finished their embrace, and Vic climbed up on her snout. Scooting as close to her eyes as possible, he ran his index finger down her beak and smiled.

"I love you."

Zara beamed.

"I love you, too."

She tossed her head, dislodging him, and caught him with her wings.

"And I _love_ your baking! Is this a new recipe?"

Vic shook his head.

"No, this is an old one. I didn't want to take any chances today. Everything has to be perfect."

Zara cocked her head.

"Why?"

Vic back up slyly, opening the medicine drawer behind him.

"Today is a very special day."

Zara raised her eyebrow.

"Is it? I don't think I'm familiar with whatever holiday you're referring to. Is it an American thing?"

Vic smiled.

"No, it's not a holiday. It's something even better."

Zara smiled coyly.

"I still have no idea what you're on about."

Vic reached into the drawer and held something behind his back. Zara tried to peek, but he adjusted his pose so that she couldn't see.

"Today is the eighteenth of September," he stated grandly.

"Is today different, somehow?" Zara asked.

Vic shook his head.

"No, not yet, but it's _going_ to be. See, in most contexts, today would be an ordinary day. _Any_ day would be ordinary, in fact. December 25th on its own is boring, but when people decided to call it Christmas, it became magical."

"Your point being?"

Vic grinned.

"Just like people, days have no real meaning until you assign one to them. And it's different for everyone. One person might look at September 18th and feel gloomy, because their cat died on that day. Another person might hate it, because they have to pay the landlord by midnight. It's all in the way it's perceived."

Zara placed her wing under her chin.

"I know you're going somewhere with this . . ."

Vic walked towards her slowly, keeping his hands behind his back.

"On the day we became a couple, you showed me a note. I'll never forget those words."

"Oh, no?"

"No. And I haven't told a soul what you wrote. Even if I did, they'd never know what it meant to me."

Zara laughed.

"Well, they were just words . . ."

Vic shook his head seriously.

"No, Zara. They were so much more. Up until I read them, I never imagined that I could possibly have any value."

Zara touched his cheek.

"But you do . . ."

"Only because you saw the value in me," Vic said seriously, "Without you, I would be nothing. In fact, I would be less than nothing, because no one really liked me, and I was known as the screw-up. But you changed that. I'm the man-"

"Dinosaur!" Zara laughed.

Vic smiled.

"I'm the dinosaur I am today because of the way you saw me. You were the only one who had any real faith in me . . . in what I was . . . in what I could be. Even though I haven't done much with my life, I must be the happiest man- the happiest _dinosaur_ on earth, all because of the way one person sees me. I can only hope that I make you feel the same way."

Zara smiled sincerely.

"You do."

Vic beamed.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that. For once, I know I'm making the right decision."

He took a deep breath.

"Zara Young, will-"

 _BAM!_

They both jumped as something hit the window. Zara put her wing over her mouth.

"Shit!"

She peered out the window, but was unable to see what had dropped to the ground.

"We should go see what it is," she said.

Vic began to follow her out of the house, but reconsidered. He ran back to the medicine drawer and placed his secret surprise back inside. When it was shut away, he jogged out the front door.

"That's one disadvantage of living in a tree, I suppose," Zara philosophized as he ran up to her, "It's doubly appealing to birds, because- OH!"

She gasped in surprise as she saw the body of a small pteranodon lying in the grass. Vic ran over and scooped it up.

"Oh, no! It was a baby . . ."

Zara shrieked as he held out the corpse.

"Vic! Get that thing away from me!"

He looked down at the chick with confusion.

"Zara, it's dead."

She placed her wings over her eyes.

"Doesn't matter. I hate those monsters. Hate them, hate them, hate them!"

Vic sighed.

"Alright. I'll notify Vivian. I'm sure she'll know whose child it was."

He placed the chick in the grass, closing its eyes gently. With a solemn mien, he returned to the house. Zara had pulled down the shades, most likely uneasy about the presence of a pterosaur nearby, even a dead one. Vic washed his hands in the kitchen sink and sighed.

"I'll never understand why you're so afraid of them," he muttered, "They're harmless, as far as animals go . . ."

Zara scoffed.

"Harmless? Vic, they're monsters!"

He shook his head.

"I've talked to them before. They're just like you and I, only a little dumber."

Zara scratched the floor with her claws in agitation.

"Oh, sure. In _this_ world, they're nice, but back home . . ."

She shuddered. Vic dried his hands on a towel and walked up to her.

"Zara, are you okay?"

"No. I'm not okay."

Vic hugged her.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Zara shook her head.

"No . . . No . . . I'm just living in the past. It still upsets me, you know."

Vic cocked his head.

"What does?"

"How I . . . How I died."

Vic squeezed her gently.

"Gosh. I'm sorry, Zara . . . Wait . . . What does this have to do with pteranodons?"

Zara gave a quiet rumble.

"I've never told you the whole story, have I?"

Vic bit his lip guiltily.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Zara shook her head.

"I should be honest with you."

She took a deep breath.

"Before the mosasaur decided to . . . Before _that_ . . . I was . . . and then . . . Look, pteranodons were _involved_."

Vic gulped.

"Were they in cahoots with the flying monsters that grabbed you?"

Zara gave him a funny look. Vic's jaw dropped.

"Oh . . . The pteranodons and the monsters are the same thing. Oh, gosh. I didn't realize. The way you described it-"

Zara shook her head.

"I know. I haven't been clear. But it still causes me pain, you know? I don't think I'll ever be able to recover."

Vic rubbed her side, tears brimming at his eyes.

"Oh, Zara. I'm so, so sorry. If I ever meet the pteranodon who attacked you, I'll give him a firm talking-to."

Zara shook her head.

"As much as I hate the beasts, it wasn't their fault. If anyone is to blame, it's the Indominus Rex."

Slowly, Vic stopped rubbing her scales. Now that he knew the details of her accident, something was sounding very suspicious about it. He was only now starting to put the pieces together. When the penny dropped, so did his heart.

"You died during the attack on Main Street . . ." he whispered, eyes wide.

Zara nodded.

"Yes, of course. When did you _think_ I died?"

Vic started trembling.

"I didn't . . . I mean, I didn't think- I wasn't thinking-"

Zara frowned with concern as Vic became noticeably distraught.

"What's wrong?"

Vic stepped backwards.

"I . . ."

He backed into a table and jumped five feet in the air. Zara inched forward with worry.

"Vic, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Vic tried to say what was on his mind, but found that he couldn't look at Zara. He closed his eyes and turned his head, wincing preemptively.

"It was my fault."

Zara blinked rapidly.

"What?"

"It was my fault that the pteranodons got out."

Zara shook her head.

"No, Vic, it was nobody's fault. Claire says the same thing. It's not-"

"I knew the Indominus was dangerous," Vic choked, "We made it that way. I wanted . . . Oh god . . ."

Zara frowned lightly.

"Vic? . . ."

He took a shaky breath.

"I wanted a field test for the raptors and the Indominus was supposed to . . . I mean . . ."

Zara cocked her head.

"Vic, you're not making any sense. It's not your fault that the Indominus got out."

"It is. That was the plan."

Zara pulled her head back in surprise. She looked away, and her face showed consternation. Vic could tell that she was thinking about something, and that "something" scared him very much.

"I . . . I didn't know it was you down there," Vic stuttered helplessly, "I mean, if I had known you like I know you now, I would have never-"

He broke off when his eyes met Zara's. She gave him a pleading look.

"Vic . . . You didn't _want_ those people to die, did you?"

He shook his head quickly.

"No, no, no. Death is terrible. I wouldn't kill someone if I could help it. But the field test-"

Zara gave a deep rumble.

"Which is it, Vic? Did you intend for people to die or not?"

Vic laced his fingers together uneasily.

"Well, when people started dying, it gave us validation . . ."

He stopped when he came to grips with what he was saying. Motive or no motive, he was basically admitting that he wanted innocent people to die. People like Zara.

Vic felt his heart thumping in his chest. He was remorseful and confused and terrified all at once. He tried to think of what he had been about to say, but all that he could conjure up in his mind was "I wanted them to die". It was the truth. No matter how much he sugarcoated it, it was the truth. Zara stared at him, her expression evolving from denial to worry to anger, and finally, absolute betrayal.

"I never knew what they meant . . ." she whispered.

Vic held out his hands.

"Zara, please . . ."

"They said you were a bad man, but I didn't know what they were actually talking about . . ."

Vic's lip trembled.

"Zara, if I had known-"

She scraped her claws across the ground, making lines in the hardwood. Vic backed up in panic.

" _Known_? Known _what_? That someone you could take advantage of was about to die?"

Vic shook his head.

"No, no! Zara, no!"

She bared her teeth.

" _You_ . . . I _died_ because of you! And . . . And that's why I _changed_! You _made_ me this way! I used to be _beautiful_!"

Vic reached forward with one hand, tears blurring his vision.

"You're still beautiful . . ."

Zara hissed loudly. Vic stumbled backwards.

"I was going to get married! Everything was perfect! I had a life, and you took it from me!"

Vic gulped. The tears were no longer lingering in his eyes. They slid down his chin and dripped onto his belly.

"Zara, I'm sorry! I would never-"

She snapped at him angrily.

"LIAR! I trusted you! I trusted you and you _killed_ me!"

Vic whimpered.

"I didn't know . . . I didn't know . . ."

"Get out," she hissed, "GET OUT!"

Vic dashed across the kitchen and charged out the front door. He ran away with his head in his hands, still sobbing. Zara glared at him as he disappeared into the jungle, but it wasn't long before she was crying too.

***TSJWFEW***

It was almost time for dinner. Henry sat on a chesterfield, twirling the long-forgotten staff in his paws pensively. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear June enter the room. It was hard not to notice a teenage spinosaurus, but somehow, he was not aware that she was present.

"What's that, Daddy?"

Henry looked up in surprise.

"Oh, nothing."

He placed the staff on a coffee table.

"Just an old cane. It's not important."

He waved her over.

"Come here. Tell me how you're doing."

June sighed and sat down beside him.

"Not good."

Henry frowned sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm sick."

"Do you need medicine?"

June looked away.

"Sick in my head."

Henry bit his lip.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

June squeezed her eyes shut.

"I thought about May today . . . thought about the truck that hit her. I imagined what I would have done to the driver. It wasn't healthy."

Henry wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Oh, honey. It's normal to be angry when you feel that something has been taken away from you. You loved May, and that's what's important."

June shook her head.

"No, Daddy, no. Something is wrong with me. It's always been that way."

Henry stroked her snout.

"No, baby, there's nothing wrong with you. We can fix this."

June's voice started to quaver weakly.

"I saw Mrs. Sattler today. Ellie's mom. She's getting older. She might not be around much longer. I wanted to apologize. More than anything, I wanted to walk over to her and say that I was sorry. But I was so scared . . ."

Henry held her as she sobbed.

"Shhh . . ."

June hiccupped.

"I've ruined so many lives . . ."

"You haven't! You haven't, sweetie."

"You never go out with your friends anymore. I'm a burden."

Henry shook his head.

"Listen, June. I love you. I'm going to keep taking care of you until you're better, okay? We'll get there. You'll see."

She looked up at him with an unreadable expression.

"You aren't going to give up on me? Not ever?"

Henry nodded.

"I'll always be here for you. Always."

"I understand . . ."

June slipped out of his arms. Although the conversation seemed to have gone well, the look on June's face didn't match the tone of what had been said. Henry frowned in puzzlement.

But he decided to let it go.

***TSJWFEW***

There was only one thing on Vic's mind: escape. He wanted to be far, far away from the island and everyone on it. He had hurt them. All of them. He had wronged nearly everyone in one way or another, and now he needed to make himself scarce. That's why he was dog-paddling through the ocean. He wanted to run.

Vic felt his stomach twist. He couldn't _really_ run, could he? There was no escaping his past, because it was a part of him. No matter how far he ran, no matter how long he lived, his former self would follow him around like a shadow. There was no way to destroy the person he used to be. Not without destroying himself.

Shortly after this thought crossed his mind, he felt his limbs growing weak.

And he was too far to swim back.

***TSJWFEW***

In the hour that followed his discussion with June, Henry felt uneasy. He ignored the sensation at first, but somehow, he just couldn't shake the ominous feeling. He lumbered over to the bottom of the stairs and called to his daughter.

"June? . . . June?. . ."

Receiving no reply, he deduced that she was simply asleep. When he turned around, however, he saw that his staff was missing. Without missing a beat, he dashed up to her room and flung open the door.

"JUNE!"

He had never seen so much blood in his life.

***TSJWFEW***

Vic was still moving forward, but barely. He could feel his chin dipping under the water as he struggled to stay afloat. It was a battle he was about to lose. With tears in his eyes, he opened his mouth to say that he was sorry one last time, but his apology was interrupted by a sudden influx of salt water. Soon, he was completely underwater. Bubbles escaped from his lips as he floated downwards. He could see grey clouds through the wavy water. They were so far . . .

But then he was being lifted towards the surface.

He passed out before he could discover who had rescued him.

***TSJWFEW***

Isla Nublar's medical facilities had greatly improved over the years, but the doctors and nurses hardly saw any action. Tonight was abnormal, because the staff had to deal with a very serious case. Most dinosaurs and people who visited the hospital were sick with something curable, or else injured in a way that would heal without issue. The wounds of the young spinosaurus were worse than anything they had ever encountered. Henry knew this, but he was positive that June would recover. How could she not? She had her whole life ahead of her.

He snapped to attention as the doctor came walking out of the emergency room. When he tried to stand up, she put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit back down.

"I'm sorry. There was nothing we could do."

Henry felt the world come crashing down around him.

"No . . ."

The nurse closed her eyes.

"I know this is difficult. If you need to make use of our wellness facilities-"

Henry didn't hear anything she said after that. At first, he didn't allow himself to believe that June was gone. Even though he could see her lifeless eyes staring at him through the door, which the nurse had neglected to close all the way, he wasn't willing to accept the truth. Of course, it didn't matter how much he wished for everything to be alright: nothing would change the reality of the situation.

His daughter was dead.

***TSJWFEW***

As soon as Vic opened his eyes, he heard someone say his name and felt a pair of wings wrapping around his neck. It took him a while to figure out that it was Zara. He became more lucid as time went on, feeling upset because she was crying into his shoulder, and he did not want her to be sad. When his thoughts stopped colliding, Vic rubbed his forehead and groaned.

"Zara? . . ."

"Vic! Oh, Vic! Don't you _ever_ do that again!"

"Do what?" he asked cluelessly.

"You ran off!" she exclaimed, raising her wings for emphasis, "You didn't leave a note or anything! You just swam out into the middle of the ocean and-"

She sputtered hysterically before screeching angrily.

"You could have _died_!"

He was kind of wishing he had.

"You're lucky I found you in time, you stupid, stupid man!" Zara scolded, "What were you _thinking_?"

Vic sighed.

"I don't know. I just wanted to get away."

"From what?"

"My guilt, I guess," Vic said quietly, "I'm sorry. It really was stupid of me."

Zara looked at him with pity.

"Vic . . . I need you to promise me that you won't do anything like that again. I'm serious. We need to talk about this."

Vic looked away.

"I'm sorry . . ."

Zara turned his head with her talons.

"Promise me, Vic. Promise me."

Vic nodded.

"I promise."

Zara took a deep breath.

"I'm breaking up with you."

Vic could have seen it coming from a mile away, but the development was so much worse when it actually happened. He couldn't stop himself from crying. Zara gave a pained expression and hugged him remorsefully.

"I'm sorry, Vic. I have to. I have to . . ."

He tried to compose himself.

"No, no. I understand. I shouldn't make this more difficult for you."

Zara said nothing, but continued to hold him. Vic relished the moment, knowing that it would probably be the last time they'd be this close. As she pulled away, he felt himself being drawn to her, but it was too late. He no longer belonged to her, nor she to him. He could feel her warmth dissipating into the air, and realized that he would never be happy again. But he deserved it.

"Vic . . ."

He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"It's okay. I understand," he quavered, "You can find someone better, I'm sure."

He meant it sincerely. If there was one good thing to come out of their separation, it was that Zara could finally be with someone decent.

"I'll be fine. I promise," he droned, "You don't have to worry about a thing."

This, he did not believe, but he didn't want Zara to feel guilty. He continued to spout similar nonsense, hoping that he could convince her that he was okay. When he was done, she left the room quietly. Vic was sure that she would recover from their breakup, but he did not realize that she was just as upset as he was.

Zara did not attempt to go back on her word, however. As much as she wanted to trust him, she couldn't stop herself from imagining the terrible things he had done. What would the others say if they knew? Perhaps they already did. Zara felt like the stupidest person on earth. To go this long without knowing about his past, only to have the truth revealed out of nowhere . . . the timing couldn't be worse. But Zara didn't know the half of it. As she reached into the medicine drawer to find some aspirin for Vic, her talons brushed up against something unusual.

She stared at the ring for a good minute before she found the strength to close the drawer.

***TSJWFEW***

There were two kinds of people on Isla Nublar: those who offered Henry their condolences and those who found the situation too unpleasant to discuss. He actually preferred the latter, because those who stayed quiet about the issue were at the very least more honest than the people who pretended that June hadn't taken her own life. They acted as though it had been a tragic accident, and nothing more. Of course, "died suddenly" was code for suicide, and everyone knew it without having to say a word.

The worst part about June's death was that it had been Henry's fault. Not only had he brought the claw-staff into his home, but he trusted that his daughter was okay when he knew otherwise. If he had only arrived a few minutes sooner, perhaps things might have turned out differently.

Henry went from questioning whether June's death was preventable to hating her for not telling him how she felt to simply giving up on everything. He did not eat, he did not sleep, and he did not speak so much as a single word. He was surprised that Seriama was coping with June's death relatively well, but he knew that she was trying to be strong for Harry's sake. As for Henry, he sat alone by the garage, wondering if there would ever come a time when he would stop being the cause of so much misery.

***TSJWFEW***

Vic was leaving the island for good. He had wanted to say goodbye to his friends, but he realized that he didn't have any friends to say goodbye to. Owen had been somewhat kind to him, but he was nothing more than an acquaintance, and he wasn't around anyway. Vic hired a sailor to take him to the mainland, bringing with him only a few possessions. He sat near the front of the ship, holding a large ring in his hands. Staring down at it, he could hardly believe that his proposal had ever been a possibility. He was so close to having a normal life, _so close_ , but it wasn't meant to be. He was impressed with himself for getting as far as he did, considering he was the most awful man- or dinosaur- alive.

A cold breeze made him shiver. His first instinct was to offer Zara a coat, but he quickly realized that she wasn't with him. Nor would she ever be. She was gone forever. He would never see her again.

That's when the reality of his situation struck him. He was going to be all alone, and the person he loved more than life itself would never speak to him again. He had nothing to look forward to. Not a thing.

Vic didn't know what he would do, but he knew that he couldn't give up. He had promised Zara that he wouldn't do anything stupid. He owed it to her to keep that vow, at the very least.

He wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and stared at the ring vacantly. With tears in his eyes, he turned it over, watching it sparkle in the dull light, then tossed it into the ocean. It hit the water with a gentle plink, then disappeared forever.

***TSJWFEW***

Racked with guilt, Ellie sat at her desk, knowing that she had lost June because of her foolishness. Poor Henry was blaming himself for her death, and everyone else was blaming June herself. Ellie knew better. She would have liked to have blamed Elkay, but it was Ellie's fault for having failed her, not just as a person, but as a Queen. A Queen who was worse than Elkay.

Perhaps no one knew the full extent of Ellie's madness, but that didn't make it any better. She lashed out at her friends, ignored her subjects, and worst of all . . .

Ellie put her head in her hands. She hated to admit it, but her relationship with Alan was basically a formality at this point. There wasn't much keeping them together except obligation. That was the part that really hurt.

 _Ellie . . ._

A raspy voice echoed through the room. Ellie knew who it belonged to. It was coming from the Beneath. There was no mistaking the booming baritone of the giant bull who had made it his mission to drag her back to his realm. Unfortunately, he _would_ have her someday. Considering what she had done in the past few years, she would not go to Elliesium, the land which had been named after her. But she would gladly accept the pain of the Beneath. It was the right thing to do.

"Ellie . . ."

"Not yet. It's not my time."

"June is with us, Ellie . . ."

Her worst fears had been realized. Ellie felt her eyes prickling.

"Let her go. This is between you and me."

"She couldn't escape it. You won't, either. I _will_ have your soul, but until then, I'll settle for June."

"Don't . . ."

"You're upset, Ellie. I'm glad. But we can make a bargain . . ."

Ellie closed her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"A chance to escape. A chance to rule the worlds above."

Ellie shook her head.

"I can't give you my kingdom."

"I'm not asking for you to hand it over. I want a chance to take it by force. Give me that opportunity, and I'll release June."

Ellie exhaled slowly.

"What are your terms? . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Vic was the only person on the boat, he realized. Well, there was a gallimimus captain, but he obviously knew who Vic was, because he didn't try to talk to him. He was used to this kind of reaction by now. Perhaps when he reached the mainland, things would be different. Probably not, though. Even if someone wasn't aware of his identity, he'd have to tell them who he was out of obligation. Being dishonest with Zara was what had caused him trouble in the first place. He would never hurt anyone again, if he could help it. Of course, now that he was thinking about Zara, he felt a whole lot worse. He couldn't stop himself from imagining the look of betrayal in her eyes. He wanted to substitute it with a memory of her smiling at him, but he knew that that would be dishonest. Whatever she had felt in her heart before she discovered the truth, it had been replaced by hatred, and he would never get a chance to-

 _BAM!_

Vic gasped as the boat lurched suddenly. He lost his balance and did a backwards somersault. When he peeked over his belly, he saw Zara clinging to the front of the boat, holding it in place with her wings. Vic's jaw dropped, and he sputtered for a bit before he could form words.

"Z-Zara?"

"Vic."

He stood up and brushed himself off.

"What are you doing here?"

She looked down at him with a clouded brow.

"I . . . never said goodbye."

Vic blinked.

"You did. Back at our- at your house, remember?"

Zara opened her beak.

"Yeah . . . Yeah, I guess I did."

They stared at each other awkwardly for a while. Vic had nothing to say, but Zara was clearly debating whether or not she should continue. Finally, she managed to squeeze the words out with great difficulty.

"I didn't _want_ to say goodbye, though."

Vic felt his heart tremble. He couldn't allow himself to believe that she meant what he hoped she meant. But then . . .

"I don't think we're done. Not yet," she affirmed, "I know you did bad things, probably worse than the bad things most people do, but . . . Well, I mean, it's just that . . . I wouldn't have known, because you're different now."

Vic sighed.

"But Old Vic will never go away. If you blame me for the things he did, I completely understand. You don't have to like me, because no matter how good I am now, my goodness can never exceed how terrible Old Vic was. So, you really don't have to feel bad for me, because nothing I do will ever be enough. That's just the way it is."

Zara gulped.

"But . . . I mean . . . Old Vic is gone."

"Not gone. Just in the past. But what I did . . . That still happened, Zara."

She nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes. I know."

"So, you're allowed to hate me."

Zara frowned sadly.

"I know you'd expect that. Old Zara would have hated you. But Old Zara wasn't in love."

Vic felt his heart flutter. Before he could allow himself to slip back into a lie, he shook his head vigorously.

"No, Zara, no. Don't do this. You can be so much better. Once I'm out of the picture, you can-"

As he spoke, Zara leaned forward. She silenced him with a kiss, and soon, they were both wrapped up in the gesture. Zara let go of the boat and held Vic, not caring that the ship was sinking under her weight. The captain ran out of his control room and shrieked.

"What the hell?!"

Vic pulled away from Zara with a loud smooching sound.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so, so sorry! Everything is fine . . ."

The captain put his hands on his hips.

"Well, can you tell your girlfriend to get the hell off of my boat?"

Vic smiled.

"Sure thing. But you know, once she does, you'll have to turn around."

The gallimimus scratched his head.

"Ain't you leaving?"

Vic beamed.

"No, I'm not. I'm going to stay for as long as I can."

The captain rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but you're still paying full price."

Vic nodded distractedly and climbed up on Zara's head. She carried him across the ocean, following the boat's trail. As the sun began to peek out from the parting clouds, she looked up at him and smiled.

"Vic."

"Mhm?"

"Marry me."

He stared down at her with his mouth agape, absolutely stunned.

"I . . . Yeah, okay. Sure. We can get married."

"Good."

***TSJWFEW***

Karen was standing on one of Isla Nublar's beaches. There was no one else around, because the weather had been cold until a few moments ago. She hadn't noticed the change, however, because she was staring out at the water with her bare feet in the sand, deep in thought and unaware of the world around her. The waves licked her feet, and she did not feel them. She did not notice a single thing about her surroundings until someone joined her. Lowery walked up to her slowly, not wanting to startle her out of her reverie.

"I had a feeling you'd be here."

Karen said nothing. She continued to stare out at the ocean without actually looking at it. Lowery stood beside her, his hands in his pockets.

"I know it's been hard. I can't imagine what it was like for you."

Karen did not reply. Lowery took a deep breath.

"I talked to the boys. They said that you haven't been yourself lately. You'd feel a lot better if you just spent time with them."

Karen shook her head slowly. Her eyes were contoured with deep creases, and there was no color in her face. Lowery hated seeing her like this, but he forced himself to hang onto the hope that she could be brought back.

"Karen? . . ."

She closed her eyes. Lowery reached out and took her hand.

"Can't we try? Even if it goes nowhere, we could at least say that we made an effort . . ."

Another wave slid across the sand. Karen looked down as something tumbled through the water. A tiny starfish floated over to her foot and landed on her toe as the wave receded. She stared down at it, then looked up at Lowery. As she wrapped her arms around him, he began to cry.

They were tears of relief.

***TSJWFEW***

Alan had grown accustomed to having Ellie run up to him. Recently, he dreaded this kind of action, because it usually meant that something had gone horribly wrong. This time, however, she flung her arms around his neck and started crying into his shoulder. Stunned by this display of remorseful affection, Alan patted her on the back awkwardly. She sniffled and looked into his eyes.

"I never thanked you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For not calling me an angel. Everyone else has, because of my wings, but you always said I was a woman. I took that for granted. You never claimed that I was a different creature because of how I looked. I was always just myself around you."

Alan squeezed her gently.

"You still are. It's alright."

Ellie shook her head.

"No, it isn't. It hasn't been for a long time. I'm sorry. I've become something awful."

Alan touched her cheek.

"No. You haven't changed one bit. You're still you. We've had rough patches before. You've always come back to me. Always."

Ellie buried her face in his chest.

"Oh, Alan! I've done a terrible thing. I made two bargains, and one of them is going to end very, very badly."

Alan ran his fingers through her hair.

"Don't worry about it. We'll pull through. We always do."

"Do we?"

Alan nodded.

"Our journey has been a long one. We've travelled far and wide, and we've overcome many obstacles. We haven't walked alone. Not everyone we started with has made it this far, but that does not mean that they've left us. Someday, we'll all be together again. No matter what happens, when this is all over, we'll end up in the same place. It may seem tragic, but it's beautiful, I promise. No matter how much we suffer, no matter how much we lose, we will live on. As long as we are remembered, even by those who never knew us, our legacy will not die."

Ellie closed her eyes.

"And when there's no one left to remember us? . . ."

Alan smiled.

"There will always be someone. Love never dies. Although it might seem like it's the end, as long as there is life, there is love . . . and there will _always_ be life. It may change in shape or nature, but it will never be gone permanently. Life will find a way, and as long as it does, there will be love, and that's what's really important."

They shared a kiss, and Ellie knew that he was right. Although Robin and Yannick had divorced, although Henry had lost his daughter, although Elkay had given up her chance to live normally, none of it really mattered. Vic and Zara had found love, Karen would soon be with child again, and Ellie was about to find her way after being lost for a very long time. There would always be life, and there would always be love.

For some stories, the final chapter might come sooner than expected, but when one page turned, another would take its place. It was comforting to know that somewhere, far away from the conflict on Isla Nublar, there was a family consisting of two hybrids and a human, blissfully unaware that part of their world was dying around them. The end of one story did not matter to them, because in their world, it was only the beginning. Even after the devastating impact of an asteroid, nothing could prevent seedlings from sprouting in the ash. They were destined to thrive in adversity, perhaps growing stronger than their predecessors. They were part of a new beginning. Their story was about to be told, and there was no doubt that their emotions would echo through those who heard their tale, perhaps not illuminated to the extent of the characters involved, but still somewhat. As long as there was truth, not reality, but _truth_ in their struggle, they would inspire shared sentiments at many degrees.

And that is why they would never be nothing.


	81. A New Evil

_The queen of the stegoceratops shall be recognized by her people, for she has a third horn on her snout to signify her royalty. Having fallen from the sky on a ball of fire, she is divine, and may not be killed by any creature woman-born. She will lead her people to fight the army of trumpeting elephants, brought on by Flat-Sailed June. The queen carries in her the magical Lilylotusdrop, white flower of Tall Mountain, which we call Moly. She is bound to the earth and to her people. Should she attempt to escape her fate, the results will be disastrous._

This ancient prophecy, written by the white-winged Queen Ellie, now a recluse on her own island, came true around eighteen years ago. Shortly after an incident at Jurassic World, Claire Dearing, Queen of the Stegoceratops, drove her people out of their sheltered valley, unwittingly sending them to their deaths. Despite this, she defeated Flat-Sailed June and brought peace to the lost souls, losing her ability to transform in the process. Now, almost two decades later, she is living peacefully on a secluded ranch with her husband, Owen Dearing. Having broken contact with Queen Ellie after a fierce argument, she is carrying out her day-to-day life as a normal person, or rather, a normal stegoceratops. Her daughter remains unaware that her mother was once human, though this illusion has been difficult to maintain over the years. The dome of magic that protects the Dearing ranch is still intact, causing enemies of their family to be misdirected and confused. Employees of Biosyn have been trying to reach their home for years, and have been unsuccessful in their pursuits.

But life isn't the _only_ thing that finds a way . . .

***TSJWFEW***

Gliding over a silver track, plunging through a thick mist, a dark train chugged through the mountain range that surrounded Claire and Owen's house. The vehicle had made this journey countless times, safe from the spell that concealed the nearby ranch, because it was too far from their borders to be affected by it. Of course, that only would have mattered if someone inside of the train was seeking out the family with malevolent intentions. But this was actually the case.

A dark figure sat atop one of the train's cabins, looking down into the valley with a bitter frown shaping her thin eyebrows. She could not see the Dearing's cabin, but she knew it was there, nonetheless. Like a beetle under a rock, it was shielded from predators. If someone should _lift_ the rock, however, it would expose the hidden insect, leaving it vulnerable to, say, a giant boot preparing to crush it. But for now, the dome of magic was strong, and would not allow anyone with ill-intent to pass. Even so, the family couldn't stay hidden forever, and if one of them were to cross the perimeter, the blockade would be destroyed forever. But how was one supposed to lure a person out of their safe zone without being able to reach them? It would take outside intervention to convince someone on the inside to break the spell.

Just as this thought breezed through the mind of the mysterious woman, five shadows crossed the tracks in front of her. They moved with a kind of awkward grace, as though they were not used to their own bodies. The last member of the group cleared the tracks just before the train passed by. As it did, the woman examined the strangers with curiosity. She could not distinguish any facial features, because the train was moving too fast, but she did notice one very interesting detail about the way the group moved.

They were headed for the ranch.

The woman rolled off of the cabin's roof and entered the train in one smooth action. Her minions gathered around her with malicious sneers as she lifted her arms and smiled.

"Change of plans, boys," she hissed, "We'll be passing by the valley later than usual. I have a feeling opportunity is about to come knocking . . ."


	82. Sweet Sixteen

"Quick! Here she comes!"

Claire pushed Owen behind the kitchen table with her horn, then quickly ducked down beside him. They peeked past a box of Froot Loops at an empty staircase, holding their breaths in anticipation. There was a light creaking noise, and a beige foot appeared at the top step. With a big yawn, a teenage stegoceratops-human stepped down into the kitchen. She looked up in confusion with tired eyes as her long horns got caught in a banner of some kind. Wasting no time, her parents stood up and opened their arms.

"SURPRISE!"

She stumbled backwards in shock, eyes wide.

"Mom? Dad? What's going on?"

"Happy birthday, Lily!" Claire cheered.

Lily stared at her with confusion.

"Uh . . . Mom? My birthday isn't for a few days . . ."

"I know," she beamed, "But it wouldn't be a surprise if we threw you a party on your _actual_ birthday, would it? Think of this as a pre-party. We want your sweet sixteen to be absolutely perfect, so this is the practice round to ensure that your father doesn't lose the party hats or burn the house down or forget your presents or _burn the house down_ . . ."

Owen crossed his arms.

"Your mother is referring to the sparkler I dropped in the barn. I think we're safe in here, since the ground isn't covered in dry hay."

Lily smiled.

"What were you doing with a sparkler in the barn, Daddy?"

He grinned coyly.

"I'm glad you asked. See, for your pre-birthday, I decided to get you an extra-special present. Well, it was going to be for your _actual_ birthday, but it got here early, straight from Isla Nublar, and I didn't think I could keep it hidden for more than one day."

Lily's jaw dropped.

"Oh, Daddy . . . You went to Isla Nublar for _me_?"

He shook his head.

"Relax. It's from the Nublar of _this_ world. For the record, though, I had to have it altered on the other Nublar, which wasn't a breeze-"

Claire shoved her foot in his face.

"What your father is _trying_ to say is that you deserve something special for your sixteenth birthday, and it was really no trouble to go there on your behalf."

Lily gave her a sad smile.

"Thanks, Mama. I know how much you hate Isla Nublar."

Claire shrugged.

"Hate is a strong word. I don't think I can bring myself to hate anyone or anything."

Lily nodded.

"I know, Mama, I know."

She stood up on her hind legs and gave her mother a hug. Claire returned it, squeezing her firmly before nodding to Owen.

"Alright, Baby Girl. It's time for you to see your present."

***TSJWFEW***

As soon as Lily finished a light breakfast, Owen brought her to the barn. It was still early in the morning, so the grass was covered in sweet dew. Lily grabbed a few mouthfuls as they marched along, relishing the fresh taste of it.

"Are you excited?" Owen asked.

Lily swallowed a mouthful of grass before answering.

"Depends on what it is. _Should_ I be excited?"

He smiled over his shoulder.

"Oh, yes. I think this is something well worth getting excited over."

He unlatched the barn door. Lily tried to peek inside, but he blocked her view.

"Close your eyes."

Lily gave him a sassy look, but did as she was told. He led her into the barn by her hand and turned on two lanterns.

"Alright . . . open your eyes."

When Lily saw her present, her jaw dropped. There, propped up against a wooden crate, was a shiny, dinosaur-sized motorcycle. She turned to her dad with disbelief, and he gave a proud smile.

"This used to be mine, back in the day. I saved up a lot of money to buy it, and for a long time, I treated it like a baby. When I met your mother, I lost track of it, because I realized what's actually important in life. When I saw you fixing up the old tractor last summer, I knew I had to find it and pass it down to you. Do you like it?"

Lily smiled at him with tears in her eyes.

"It's perfect, Daddy! Thank you!"

She gave him a tight hug, nearly suffocating him in the process. When she put him down, he gasped for air and laughed at the same time.

"I'm glad you're happy. I wish I could have shown it off with the sparklers, but you know . . . fire hazard . . ."

Lily jumped up and down excitedly.

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so happy I think I'll explode!"

Owen patted her shoulder.

"Don't go exploding, Peanut. I promised your mother I'd keep you safe."

Lily nodded.

"Right, right . . . Do I need safety training?"

"Rule one: don't fall. Rule two: seriously, don't fall or your mother will kill me."

Lily laughed.

"I won't, Daddy, I promise. When can I ride it?"

Owen smiled.

"Actually . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

Lily gave an ecstatic cheer as she soared across the plains. She could feel the sun on her back and the wind in her face, and she somehow knew that everything was right in the world. The clouds were so large that they seemed to be painted with thick brush strokes from a celestial artist. It was a sight to behold.

A large, black crow was headed in the same direction as Lily, so she decided to race it. Together, they shot across the golden landscape. There came a time when Lily wasn't sure which one of them was truly flying.

As she came to the edge of a large cliff, Lily slowed down. She stood at the edge of a vast canyon and watched the sun rising over the hoodoos. The light glimmered in her eyes, and a feeling of overwhelming happiness glowed in her chest. Today had been a perfect day so far, and if the rest played out similarly, it just might be the best pre-birthday ever.

***TSJWFEW***

"Five. You have to go to jail, Daddy."

Owen placed his ship token in the jail square resentfully.

"Hey, Lily, wanna bail me out?" he joked.

She nudged him playfully.

"Don't blame _me_ for this. _You're_ the one who refused to pay rent."

Claire rolled the dice and slid her shoe token over to Lily's dog.

"Shoot. Do I have to pay you, Lily?"

"Nope. You raised me, so I think it's fair to let it slide."

Owen pouted.

"And what about _me_?"

"What _about_ you?" Lily smirked.

"Clai-aire!"

She bopped him over the head with her horn.

"Stop whining, Owen. Let Lily play how she wants."

"Oh, like you'd be saying that if _you_ were in jail."

"I-"

The three of them froze when they heard the doorbell ring. After a moment of stunned silence, Owen pointed down the hall.

"Panic room. Now."

They all stood up and broke off in different directions. While Claire and Lily made their way to a hidden door, Owen brushed himself off and headed for the front entranceway. When he was sure that the rest of his family was safely hidden away, he reached for the handle. He was surprised to see that his guests were not salespeople, as was usually the case. They were five women of various ages, and they stared at him in a way that indicated they were not lost travelers, but rather, people who had made a conscious effort to seek him out. He couldn't conceal his confusion as he greeted the girl standing in front of the rest, who seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Hello? . . ."

"Owen."

He blinked.

"You know my name."

"Of course I do. Don't you remember me?" she asked.

Owen frowned in puzzlement.

"I . . . I'm sorry. Have we met?"

The girl nodded.

"Yes, Owen. It's me."

He looked around awkwardly.

"I don't think-"

"I'm Blue."


	83. The Raptor Squad

"Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that. You said you were-"

"Blue. The raptor."

Owen stared at this strange girl with disbelief. She certainly wasn't a raptor now, that much was clear. From her bare feet to her long, tangled hair, he saw nothing that indicated she had once been a prehistoric reptile, much less the Blue he once trained. As he met her eyes, however, he saw a familiar amber sparkle and knew that she was telling the truth. Mouth agape, he struggled to find something appropriate to say.

"You're . . . Blue . . ."

"Yes," she replied.

"And you're here . . . to see me?" he ventured.

"Of course."

Owen rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know what to say."

He looked at Blue, then at her companions. As he examined each person, he began to recognize them.

"Delta . . ."

The girl with red hair nodded.

"Echo, Charlie . . ."

A blonde and a brunette did the same. Owen blinked in confusion as he glanced at the fifth member. Seeing that he was staring at her, she stopped nibbling her arm (which she had been doing for some reason) and smiled pleasantly.

"I'm Foxtrot. The new one."

Owen gulped.

"Foxtrot. Okay. Um . . . Not to seem rude or anything, but why are you guys . . . here?"

Blue reached out and took his hand.

"As for the others, it's a story we'll have to tell later, but I willed myself to become human out of devotion to you. For eighteen years, I've been searching the globe, hoping that one day we could be together again. Today, we are reunited once and for all. Now that I'm human, there's nothing on Earth or Heaven that can keep us apart. Tell me, Owen, what have you been doing all these years?"

He quirked the corner of his mouth awkwardly.

"Well, um, I married Claire and we have a daughter now . . ."

Blue became petrified. Before she could speak, Owen gave a little jump and dropped her hand in order to press a button on the wall.

"I completely forgot! Claire and Lily are still in the panic room. They'll be out shortly. I'll introduce you."

Blue was still staring ahead with a stunned expression. Her wide eyes showed a kind of devastation, or perhaps incredulity. It went unnoticed by Owen, who waved Claire over as she rounded the corner.

"Hey, Claire! It's Blue and the raptors!"

She gave a surprised moo and reared up on her hind legs.

"Raptors?! Owen, are you cr-"

She caught sight of the women and froze.

"Those aren't- Where's the- What's going on?"

Lily pushed past her excitedly.

"Who's here? Are they new?" she chirped.

Owen shook his head.

"No, they're old friends . . . but I guess they're kind of new since they're human now . . ."

He moved out of the doorway.

"You five can come in, if you want."

The non-raptors strutted into the room one by one. Even though they were human, Owen could see the raptorness shining through. They bobbed their heads gently and held their arms in a dinosaur way. It was an amusing sight, if a little unnatural.

"Owen . . ." Claire mumbled, "Are you sure it's safe to let them in?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked.

"They're former raptors who came back from the dead. That's a little suspicious, don't you think?"

"No, not really."

Lily tapped her mother's shoulder with worry.

"Does this mean we have to put our game on hold?"

Claire looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry, honey, but this is kind of important."

Lily nodded dolefully and followed Owen as he led the raptors to the living room, where he had them sit down on a couch. He sat opposite them on a plush chair with Claire and Lily by his side, and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I don't want this to sound brusque, because I'm somewhat glad to see you again, but I have a few questions about how you got here."

"We walked!" Charlie piped up.

She flinched as Blue snapped at her, then looked away in shame.

"We've been traveling the world, mostly on foot," Blue reiterated, "Before we came looking for you, we had to find each other. I hired someone to locate my sisters, but unfortunately, it took all of my resources. We've been basically homeless for the past decade or so."

Owen nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Would you be able to tell me how it is that you came to be human?"

"Well, as I said before, I willed myself to change. The others had their essence transferred to comatose bodies after they died through a device that can only be described as a soul pot."

Owen blinked.

"Soul pot? Why does that sound familiar? . . ."

"So, you entered other people's bodies?" Claire pressed suspiciously.

"Only the bodies of those who were already braindead," Blue replied with a faint aggression, "And it's not like they had a choice. Once my sisters were stuck as humans, they made the bodies their own, as you can see from their eyes. They couldn't change back into raptors completely. They were trapped in the shells that their souls chose, hence the age difference."

It was true that they were different ages. Blue seemed to be in her late twenties, while Charlie was a teenager and Delta was middle-aged. Echo was the oldest of all, looking around sixty, and Foxtrot-

"What about you?" Owen asked the new member, "How did you come to join the group?"

Foxtrot shrugged.

"Well, it should be obvious. As you can see, I'm a raptor, so I got along well with these fine ladies. I decided to run away with them."

Owen laughed.

"No offense, but I didn't know you were a raptor."

Foxtrot snuffed.

"Isn't it obvious? I thought you were supposed to be an expert on raptors, but you can't even tell the difference between these humans and me! Didn't you notice my tail?"

Owen leaned over and looked at her perfectly normal behind. He frowned in confusion.

"You don't have-"

Blue coughed to get his attention, then gave him a look of warning. He turned back to Foxtrot, who was preening her arm again, and realized that pointing out that she wasn't currently a large, scaly creature would conflict with some kind of delusion she was experiencing. He decided to let it go, assuming that her insanity was harmless if left unaddressed. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked at the other girls.

"Alright. So you're back now. Where does that leave us?"

"We'll continue where we left off," Blue stated, "It will be like we never left."

Owen looked down at the carpet with guilt.

"Blue . . . Things have changed. You're not a raptor anymore, and I'm not a raptor trainer."

Blue gave him an uncertain look.

"I know we're a little different, but does it really matter? We're still your girls, and we need our Alpha."

Owen stared at her for a moment, then touched Claire's shoulder.

"Take Lily to her room, please. I need a moment alone with my raptors."

Claire nodded and shepherded their daughter away. When he was sure that they were out of earshot, Owen turned back to Blue and laced his fingers together.

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting this visit, but I'm glad you came back. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about what happened that night and wished that I could have saved you all, somehow. I'd be glad to let you stay here, but as my guests, not as livestock. You can be a part of this family, but if you choose to do so, you have to abide by certain rules."

Blue leaned forward.

"I promise to do anything you ask."

Owen smiled.

"I'm glad. First things first, Lily doesn't know that Claire used to be human. You are not to reveal this information under any circumstances. I can't stress how important this is. Do _not_ tell her about Claire. Understood?"

The raptors nodded.

"Good. Second, you have to listen to and respect my wife. Claire is just as much the Alpha of this household as I am, and you will treat her as such."

"But she's prey!" Foxtrot complained.

Blue stomped on her foot.

"Listen to the Alpha, Fox. Unless you want trouble . . ."

She shook her head.

"No, I'm good. We'll obey the sack of meat- I mean 'Claire' . . ."

Owen gave her a warning frown, then continued his speech.

"Third- and I don't think this one will be as hard as the others- you need to pitch in around the house. It takes a lot of work to run a ranch, even if we're not doing it for profit. I'm going to need each of you to take up a chore or two . . . except for feeding the chickens, because that's Lily's job."

Charlie looked disappointed by this rule. Owen noticed this, and gave her a nod.

"Actually, I changed my mind. Charlie, since you're the youngest, you can help Lily with her chores. She'll tell you what to do when the time comes. Delta, Echo: you're on garden duty. That means you need to water and fertilize, respectively. I'll leave it up to you which one of you does what. Blue, you can do the dishes. Foxtrot-"

He noticed that she was gnawing on her own foot.

". . . Foxtrot, you can help Claire with small tasks. She'll be needing assistance every now and then, so do everything she says. And don't call her a sack of meat."

The faux-raptor gave him a little salute, then went back to chewing her toenails.

"Alright, now that that's sorted, I'm going to tell Claire about the plan."

"Do you think she'll let us stay?" Charlie asked hopefully.

Owen smiled warmly.

"Of course she will."

***TSJWFEW***

"Absolutely _not_!" Claire barked, "I will not have five strange women- one of them clinically insane- wandering around the ranch. They're _raptors_ , Owen. What if they kill the chickens or tear up the garden or fiddle with our farming equipment?"

Owen gave her a pleading look.

"Claire, they're not wild animals anymore: they're people. They understand English, so it shouldn't be hard to communicate with them and keep them under control."

"And what if they decide _they_ want to be in control?" she snapped.

Owen shrugged and squeaked evasively.

"God, Owen, sometimes I think you're totally dense," Claire sighed with frustration, "Nothing good can come from this. It would be best if we tell them to leave and forget this ever happened."

Owen tried to block the doorway.

"Claire, we can't just kick them out!" he protested.

"Oh, yes we can!" she growled.

She pushed past him with her horn and marched down the hall. When she reached the living room, she puffed out her chest and stomped her foot with an authoritative air.

"Alright, you overgrown chickens, it's time to-"

She broke off when she saw the raptors huddled on the couch. They were fast asleep in a kind of dog-pile, and aside from a twitch or a murmur every now and then, they seemed to be quite content in this position. Seeing their gentle smiles, Claire's face softened. She paused, then sighed and turned to Owen, giving him a halfhearted glower.

"They can stay for a while, but I don't want them here forever," she muttered.

Owen knelt down and kissed her front horn tenderly.

"I know. Thank you, Clairebear."

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't make anything of it."


	84. Friendly Interaction

The next morning, all of the cereal in the house was devoured by the guests (with the exception of Foxtrot, who insisted on having eggs because she was a carnivore). Being a family of vegetarians, Owen wasn't quite sure how the meal would play out, but the raptors accepted the food they were given, as they were now biologically suited for digesting grain products. The breakfast had a shaky start, since each bowl of cereal was initially passed to Blue by the other raptors. Owen explained that the reason he had divided the cereal into bowls was to allow everyone to have an equal portion, and their predetermined pecking order didn't apply in his family. This wasn't entirely true, because he made a point of feeding Blue last. Although he trusted his raptors, Owen was still wary of them. If he had learned one thing from training them, it was that they were smart enough to take advantage of his kindness, and it would therefore be unwise to allow them the chance to do so.

After breakfast, the raptors split up to complete their chores. Owen sensed that Blue was unhappy with doing the dishes, but he decided to let the issue go in order to resolve a dispute between Echo and Delta, who were both keen to water the garden. He suggested that they each water half, and they agreed to his plan. Charlie, meanwhile, was doing a good job of feeding the chickens. Lily showed her how to toss the feed, and the raptor followed her directions without much trouble. A couple of seeds fell on her feet during the process, and she laughed hysterically as the chickens pecked her toes. This turned into a game for Lily, who was determined to have the birds eat off of her tail. Charlie bet five imaginary dollars that she could get them to eat out of her hand. She succeeded, and Owen couldn't help but smile as he watched their competition play out. Although the two youngest members of the family were getting along, things weren't so smooth as far as Claire and Foxtrot were concerned. The raptor-girl started chasing rats through the grass while Claire tried to explain how to mend fences, and there came a point when she gave up on the endeavor and let her student fool around.

Despite the somewhat questionable results of their new routine, the raptors seemed content with their progress. When there was nothing left to do, they followed Owen around the house, staring at him in an unsettling way. He ignored this at first, but after a while, he became claustrophobic. He faced the semicircle that seemed to be bound to him and gave the girls a sardonic frown.

"You know, you don't have to follow me everywhere I go."

"We want to," Charlie twittered, "You're the Alpha, so we should be here for you in case you need us."

Owen shook his head.

"Don't hang around me like a shadow, please. If I need you, I'll call. Besides, you should be asking Claire, too. She might need you to thread a needle or something."

"I don't," Claire replied from the table she was using to measure fabric, "But thanks for the offer."

Delta looked at Claire with confusion.

"So . . . Who's the _real_ Alpha?"

"What do you mean?" Owen asked.

"Well, you said that Claire is also the Alpha, but there can only be one. So which one of you is really in charge?"

As Claire said "Both of us", Owen said "Claire". This didn't help their situation.

"I don't get it," Echo mumbled, "Why is there confusion about who's in charge?"

Owen shrugged.

"Well, to be honest, no one is really in charge. Claire and I work as a team. We don't need to be each other's boss, because we're not in a life or death situation. Family doesn't have to conform to a strict hierarchy. That's all there is to it."

Charlie cocked her head.

"I don't get it. Whenever _we_ tried to take initiative, you yelled at us. What makes _her_ so different?"

Owen shook his head.

"Look, Charlie, I know you're not used to the way things are now, but you aren't just pets: you're people. Since you've taken the time to learn English, our relationship is more equal. We can communicate verbally, so there's no need for treats or clickers or spray bottles. Those are for animals, and you are not an animal."

"But your wife is," Blue stated.

Owen's eyes darted over to Claire. He noticed that she paused before continuing to cut her fabric.

"Claire isn't an animal," Owen explained, "She's a sentient creature with a refined intellect and complex problem-solving abilities. She is not only above animals in this regard, but also most humans. She is not a pet, and neither are you. No one in this family is going to be treated like a dog."

Owen blinked in confusion when he noticed the sad look on Charlie's face.

"What?"

"If you don't use a clicker, how are we supposed to know if what we're doing is good?" she whispered.

"I'll _tell_ you. I'll say 'good job' or 'way to go'. If you do something wrong, we'll deal with your behavior in an appropriate way. In this house, we use our words to solve problems. That's what separates us from the animals."

"I'm an animal," Foxtrot stated proudly.

"You . . . um . . . you're a _talking_ animal, so that's as good as being human," Owen stammered.

Suddenly, Claire stood up with her arms full of scraps.

"Alright. I have the basic shapes down. Who wants to help me in the sewing room?"

Blue grabbed Charlie's arm as she raised her hand and yanked it down.

"None of us," she hissed, "We do what Owen says. You're not our Alpha."

Owen pointed at her angrily.

"Hey! You stop that right now! Claire deserves your respect, understood?"

Blue glowered at him.

"She's not the Alpha . . ."

"Fine," Owen snapped, "Since this is obviously not making any sense to you, let me be as clear as possible. I'm your Alpha, and Claire is your Alpha, too. She's in charge because I said so. Blue, you are no longer the Beta. You're going to be demoted to a new position that I'm calling 'guest'. You and the other raptors fall into this category. Your status is beneath Claire's and mine, and even Lily's. It's your duty to be polite to each other, and if you give me any sass, you'll get a time out."

Charlie shrunk away in fear.

"What's a time out?"

Owen narrowed his eyes.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't push me that far. Now, who's gonna help Claire with her sewing?"

Slowly, each member of the group raised their hands. Blue was the last to do so.

"Good," Owen said, "Now go upstairs and make yourselves useful."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire's sewing project was, in fact, five pairs of slippers. The squad received their new footwear one by one, and with the exception of Blue, they seemed to be happy with the results of their Alpha's hard work. They spun around like fashion models, admiring the fluffy accessories.

"They're so soft . . ." Charlie crooned.

"It's like walking on a cloud!" Echo remarked.

"They're pink! I _love_ pink!" Delta giggled.

"She even made holes for my claws!" Foxtrot gushed.

Claire looked at their feet proudly, feeling quite accomplished. She expected no thanks from her clients, because she had a feeling that raptors didn't know how to express gratitude. She was somewhat wrong, because Charlie trotted over and started rubbing up against her. The rest of the squad followed (again, with the exception of Blue), and soon, Claire was in the center of a very strange group hug. Owen walked in on this confusing sight, and although he didn't quite understand what was going on, he knew that it was a good sign.

***TSJWFEW***

"I've always loved music," Charlie said whimsically as they ate supper, "When I woke up, I was in Sydney, and I spent countless hours trying to listen in on the opera singers performing. I could never get close enough to hear them clearly, but they sounded beautiful."

Owen smiled.

"I guess we'll have to take you to the opera, someday."

Claire gave him a quick look of worry. She clearly wasn't ready to commit to what was starting to become an extended family. Owen nodded faintly and decided to change the subject.

"So, Echo, where did you end up when you became human?" he asked casually.

"Denmark," she huffed, "Not a lot of music there. Not a lot of _anything_. The only good part about it was the alcohol. It got me through five rough years. Incidentally, do you have more wine?"

Owen shook his head.

"I think you've had enough, Echo. What about you, Delta? Where did you spend most of your time?"

She gave a whimsical sigh.

"Paris. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. It's so romantic . . ."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Lily asked in her typical teenage way.

"No," Delta sighed, "I don't think I could ever be attracted to a human. Hair is so icky. It's really a turn-off. But I wish I could be in love. It sounds so nice . . ."

"Maybe you'll find someone special if you look hard enough," Claire said cheerfully, "You might even want to go back to Paris to find him."

Owen gave Claire a gentle kick under the table. He knew that she wasn't keen to have the raptors around for more than a week, but she was being too obvious in her attempts to convince them to leave.

She gave him a look that he couldn't quite interpret. He didn't need to guess what she was thinking, of course, because they both knew where the other stood in terms of hospitality. Owen just hoped that Claire could keep up her facade long enough to make his raptors feel at home before they were booted to the curb.

"I'd give _anything_ to see Paris," Charlie beamed, "Someday, I want to travel the world . . . if Blue lets me."

Owen frowned.

"Charlie, Blue isn't in charge of your life."

"I kind of am," Blue said tersely, "She was the first raptor I found, and we spent a good portion of our eighteen-year search together, just the two of us. We're very close."

"That doesn't give you the right to lord over her life," Owen said quietly.

There was an awkward pause. Claire cleared her throat and dabbed her beak with a napkin.

"I'm going to excuse myself for a moment. I want to know what's taking our special guest so long."

Lily perked up.

"Oh, right! I forgot about that! Daddy, did you tell the girls-"

He put his finger over his lips.

"It's a surprise."

Lily covered her mouth as she giggled. The raptors stared at her with confusion.

"What's she talking about?" Delta asked.

Owen gave her a sneaky grin.

"We invited someone over for the second part of Lily's pre-birthday."

Blue became tense.

"I would prefer if our presence was kept a secret for now."

Owen nodded.

"I know, I know. I would have cancelled if it was anyone else, but something tells me that you'll be okay with this . . ."

They heard the door click and craned their necks to see who had arrived. When Claire ushered the guest into the dining room, the raptors went crazy.

"BARRY!"

They rushed forward and stood in front of him, bobbing their heads up and down excitedly. He opened his arms to signal that it was okay to make physical contact, so they clung to him like lint and started purring.

"Barry! We missed you so much!" Charlie gushed.

"I never thought I'd see you again!" Delta sobbed.

"I don't know who you are, but you smell nice," Foxtrot chirped.

Barry laughed and rubbed their heads.

"Salut, les filles! I'm glad to see you too!"

Delta clapped her hands ecstatically.

"I understand him! I understand his French!"

Barry raised his eyebrows.

"Je suis impressionné. Tu peux parler aussi?"

"Oui, mais je ne suis pas très bon. Vous pourriez m'enseigner?"

"Absolument, mais tu peux me tutoyer. Nous sommes des amis, non?"

"Oui . . . Plus qu'un ami pour moi. Je te trouve très beau. Même quand j'étais un animal, je t'aimais . . . Est-ce que je vous rend mal à l'aise?"

"Pas du tout. Tu es très belle, Delta."

Foxtrot stomped her foot impatiently.

"Stop speaking all fancy! I want to know what's going on!"

Barry smiled.

"I assume you're the new one. Foxtrot, correct?"

She lifted her chin proudly.

"That's my name!"

He laughed.

"I like it. How does it feel being the fifth member of the Raptor Squad?"

"Good, but I'm the only one of us who's still a raptor, unfortunately."

Barry nodded very slowly.

"Right . . . So are you all staying for Lily's birthday?"

"And longer," Blue affirmed.

Claire flinched in response to this remark, and turned to Owen for help. She found that he had slipped over to the kitchen without her knowing, and was unaware of the current discussion. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Owen, Blue says that she'll be staying here after Lily's birthday. What are your arrangements?"

Owen smiled.

"I have it all figured out. Barry can share the guest room with one of the raptors, we can set up the pull-out bed for two more, Lily has a queen-sized mattress, so that's another one down, and we have a sleeping bag in the basement that should work just fine for the last one."

Claire didn't know how to tell him that that wasn't what she meant.


	85. Conspiracy

That night, Charlie had trouble getting to sleep. She stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, tempted to wake Lily and talk about her problems. Although she trusted her, Charlie felt slightly uncomfortable because of her species. Lily was not a human and not a dinosaur, which meant that she was something new and frightening. Then again, the same could be said of Charlie, who was not a complete human and no longer a raptor. She didn't know exactly what her role was in this household, and she was starting to worry that she might not fit in at all.

"I can tell that you're not sleeping."

Charlie gave a little jump and sat up in bed.

"What?"

"You're not sleeping," Lily repeated, "Is something bothering you?"

Charlie paused, sniffling lightly, then burst into tears.

"Owen said he doesn't want to use a clicker anymore and I know he thinks that I speak English well but I'm not good at communicating and if something goes wrong he'll think I'm not listening and he'll get mad and kick me out of the house and I'll never see him again!"

Lily blinked. She was clearly trying to process the entire confession that Charlie had blurted out, which meant that she had to go over everything that had been said at a slower pace. When she finally dissected the run-on sentence, she sat up and folded her tail around her legs.

"Um, okay. First of all, my dad isn't going to kick you out."

"How can you be sure?" Charlie whimpered.

"Because he loves you, and you just don't do that kind of thing to someone you love. Second, why are you so worried about him being mad? We all make mistakes, and sometimes we have to suffer for them. That doesn't mean the people who punish us don't care about our feelings. It means they want us to be better, that's all."

Charlie sniffled.

"I don't understand."

Lily rubbed her chin.

"Here, why don't I tell you a story? A long time ago, when I was about five, I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom when I knocked over a fancy, pink cup. It fell off the counter and landed in the trash can. I guess it was somewhat convenient for me, because it broke into several pieces: far too many to glue. I was afraid, because I knew that breaking things was a bad thing to do. I went to hide in my room, and I pretended that nothing was wrong. My mom wasn't stupid, though. Still isn't, I guess. She saw the cup in the garbage and yelled at me for breaking it. She said that it was her favorite cup . . . or maybe I just imagined that part because I felt so guilty. Anyway, I lay in bed crying long after she left. To my surprise, she came back a few minutes later. She sat down beside me and stroked my frill, and I was shocked to see that she was crying too. She explained that she was upset because of what I did, but that didn't change the fact that she loved me. She said that she was under a lot of pressure. Even adults get stressed out, sometimes. I guess she felt overwhelmed because I started being homeschooled that year. Anyway, that was when I realized that my mom would love me no matter what, and even if she yelled at me, that didn't mean she was trying to be harmful. Does that make any sense?"

Charlie sighed and wiped her eyes.

"I think so. Don't tell Blue I was crying, okay?"

Lily smiled.

"Dad says it's okay to cry. But don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

Charlie gave her a hug.

"Can we be sisters?" she asked.

Lily's eyes went wide.

"Sisters?"

Charlie nodded.

"I know we're not related, but I still want us to be family. I guess if you don't want to-"

Lily squeezed her.

"No, it's okay. I've always wanted a sister."

Charlie smiled.

"Thank you, Lily. I can't tell you how grateful I am."

"It's no big thing," she replied, "Do you think you'll be able to sleep now?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

***TSJWFEW***

The next morning, everyone seemed to be in a decent mood, but there was a strange undercurrent regarding their interactions. Barry and Delta came down late to breakfast, because they had supposedly kept each other up all night by kicking in their sleep. Blue and Foxtrot ate their breakfast quietly, but in a somewhat messy manner. Apparently, Blue had assigned dish duty to Foxtrot, which displeased Owen. Unfortunately, he had bigger problems to deal with.

To his dismay, Echo slept in until noon, hungover from the wine she had consumed the previous night. Owen sat by the couch-bed and waited for her to wake up, feeling guilty that he'd let her drinking go as far as it did. When she began to stir, he snapped to attention. She groaned and looked around with uneven eyelids, as if she was unsure where she had fallen asleep. Owen handed her a glass of water, which she drank in one big gulp.

"What's going on? Why are you watching me sleep?"

"I'm worried about you," Owen said, "You weren't very lucid last night, and the girls were telling me that you tend to drink too much. You need to learn to control yourself."

Echo looked away from him in shame.

"It's no big deal. I'm going to die soon anyway. I'm the oldest member of the Squad. There's no point in delaying the inevitable."

"Don't say those things," Owen mumbled, "You need to limit your alcohol intake, or you could really end up hurting yourself."

"What does it matter?" Echo grumbled, "No one will miss me if I pass. Blue hates me, the others think I'm old and weak, and-"

Suddenly, Owen scooped her up in a hug.

" _I_ care, Echo. I've already lost one member of my family this way, and I won't let it happen again."

Echo didn't quite know how to respond.

"I . . . But I'm the least important raptor. Even Foxtrot could beat me in a fight, I'm sure of it."

Owen shook his head.

"No, Echo. You have it all wrong. Out here, it doesn't matter who's the strongest. We don't fight each other to earn respect: we do nice things and help one another as a family. Yesterday, you did a good job of watering the plants. That garden is where we get most of our food, so by taking care of it, you did something that benefits us all. That's a million times better than fighting, and we respect you for it. You're not weak, because you're helpful."

Echo sighed.

"Blue wouldn't think so."

"Blue isn't the Alpha," Owen said sternly.

Echo considered this, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Then . . . should I water the garden again?"

Owen nodded.

"Do it in the evening so that the water doesn't evaporate as much. If you want to do something right now, you can help Claire empty the rain barrel."

"Isn't Delta helping Claire?"

"She decided to work in the garage with Barry."

Echo sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

Owen patted her shoulder.

"Good. I'm proud of you."

She smiled and gave him a quick hug before trotting out the door.

***TSJWFEW***

Late at night, Blue held a secret meeting. It was arranged last-minute, and the raptors were very much displeased that they had been awoken from a pleasant slumber. Although they were now human, their raptor-ish tendency to sleep deeply hadn't been forgotten. Drowsy and disoriented, they gathered by the hide-a-bed, rubbing their eyes like sleepy children.

"This is a disaster," Blue began.

"I'll say! I was having a wonderful dream before you interrupted me!" Foxtrot sassed.

"Shut up," Blue hissed, "I'm talking about this whole mission. After years and years of searching for Owen, we find him living here with that stupid cow, completely changed. That vile woman has moulded him into a sweater-wearing loser, and she's trying to do the same to us!"

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.

Blue leaned forward menacingly.

"Do you honestly think she made slippers because she _likes_ you? She's trying to manipulate us!"

". . . With slippers?" Echo puzzled.

"Of course!" Blue snapped, "She wants to de-raptorize us. If we listen to her, we'll be no better than housepets."

Charlie whimpered.

"Blue, I don't think she's trying to manipulate us. I think she's trying to make us feel welcome."

"Then why is she so protective of Owen? Every time I try to approach him alone, she's always coming over and talking to him."

"They're married," Echo grumbled, "They're bound to talk to each other."

Blue sneered.

"She's trying to keep us apart."

"Maybe she thinks you're trying to steal Owen," Charlie speculated.

Blue turned her face to the window and looked out at the moon.

"I'm just trying to show him the way. He used to be strong, but that disgusting hybrid has made him weak."

Echo shook her head.

"He's not weak. He's kind and generous-"

Suddenly, Blue snatched her up by the collar and pulled her forward until she was inches away from her face.

"Kindness _is_ weakness. Do you think that _kindness_ will save your life when you're being chased by a predator?"

She released Echo, who shrunk away submissively. Delta frowned lightly and stepped in front of her.

"Stop it, Blue. There's nothing wrong with the way things turned out. Owen's letting us stay, and we have to respect his wishes. If he tells us that Claire is his equal, that's what we will believe."

Blue snarled.

"She's _seduced_ him! Do you think anyone in their right mind would want to marry that . . . _thing_?"

"He loves her," Charlie whispered, "That's why-"

Blue swiped at her, and she backed away quickly.

"He is _not_ in love. She tricked him, but we can do the same. Delta, you look almost exactly like her when she was human. Win him back to our side."

Delta shook her head.

"I can't. He wouldn't go after me."

"Why not?"

"He's not in love with the way she looks: he's in love with _her_. She can't be replaced that easily."

"What if we find a way to make her uglier?" Blue muttered as she tapped her fingers on the sofa's armrest.

Delta snuffed.

"I don't think you understand what I'm saying. There's no chance he'll leave his wife. Not unless we find another Claire, and even then I don't think he would. They're too much in love."

Blue shook her head.

"No, that's simply an illusion. They can be separated. We just need to find her weakness. Does anyone have information we can use?"

None of the raptors met her gaze. Blue growled in frustration.

"You must have learned _something_. If you withhold your discoveries, I'll have to find a way to get it out of you by force, and you don't want that."

After a pause, Echo sighed mournfully.

"She gets spooked by snakes. She told me this when we emptied the rain barrel."

Blue nodded.

"Good. We can use that. You're all dismissed for the night. Tomorrow, we will tear them apart by any means necessary."

And with that, the group disbanded with heavy hearts.


	86. Disaster

The first problem of the day arose when Barry accidentally knocked over Lily's board game. Owen and Claire had moved the table to the middle of the room in order to set up the hide-a-bed, but Lily was hoping to keep the game going, as it had been interrupted by the arrival of the raptors. Her parents hadn't had the time to play, and she waited patiently, but when the tokens got knocked out of place, she somehow knew that the game had to be let go. She was disappointed at first, but Charlie offered to play a new game with her, and Claire allowed them to do so in order to keep them busy while the rest of the gang worked on the fence, which still needed repairing. This led to the second mishap, because Foxtrot decided it would be a wonderful idea to uproot Claire's scratching post for extra lumber. She dragged the hunk of wood and rope over to her new Alpha with pride, and couldn't understand why she wasn't happy with her actions. Claire took a deep breath and decided to let the incident slide, as she never had the chance to explain what the post was used for. Blue asked if Claire also owned a salt lick, and when she admitted that she did, the raptors couldn't stop laughing. Claire tried her best not to be offended by their ridicule, but she couldn't stop herself from letting out a quiet moo. Owen intervened, assigning each of the raptors a new job. Blue saw her opportunity and took it. She volunteered to carry wood for Claire, and they broke away from the others to take a walk in the woods.

"The trick is to cut into the trunk just enough so that it doesn't fall on you," Claire lectured as she hacked into the bark with her tail, "I've come close to being crushed a couple of times, but nothing too serious."

"Unfortunately," Blue muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I just said that it would be a tragedy if you were smashed by a falling log."

Claire frowned.

"It didn't sound like that."

She finished whacking the tree and moved to the other side, pushing on the trunk with her front feet.

"Do you wanna help me?" she grunted.

"No, I think your weight is enough to topple it over."

Claire gave her a displeased look, then pushed the tree to the ground. When the dust cleared, she lifted the trunk with her horns and began to carry it out into the field. Blue followed, attempting to conceal her hatred as she stared at the repulsive stegoceratops.

"Do you often chop down trees?" she asked with poorly-masked hatred.

"Only when I need to. Owen does it, sometimes, but he always needs me to carry them."

"Because you're big?"

"Because I'm strong."

Claire stopped walking and dropped the trunk as a fly started buzzing around her head. She snorted, then pawed at the ground. When the fly landed on her side, she slapped it with the tip of her tail, and it fell to the ground.

"I hate those things. Anyway, what's going on with you?"

Blue watched her pick up the trunk with narrow eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Claire shrugged.

"Just wondering how you're doing, that's all."

"Fine. But it's hard being a human. They're the second worst animal I can think of."

Claire laughed.

"I'm sure you don't feel that way about Owen."

"No, I don't. We're really close."

"Hm."

"He used to spend all of his time with me."

"Mhm."

"He talked about you, sometimes."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"All good things, I hope."

"No, he said you were cruel and frigid."

Claire chuckled.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Things have changed since then."

"I can see that."

Blue turned so that their path was changed by a few degrees. Claire seemed a little confused by her implicit action, but did not comment on it.

"You know, when Owen left, I thought for sure that he'd come back for me," Blue stated.

Claire hummed.

"We got busy after the incident on Isla Nublar."

"And that's how you ended up with a kid?"

"That happened later. I'm sure Owen would have come back for you if he'd had the chance."

"Or if he'd been allowed to."

Claire slowed down.

"Blue . . . What's going on?"

"I don't know what you mean."

Claire frowned suspiciously.

"I'm starting to get negative vibes from you."

"You're imagining things."

"No, I don't think I am. You-"

Suddenly, there was a sharp hiss, and a snake emerged from a hole that looked like it had been dug quite recently. Claire reared up on her hind legs, dropped the log (on the snake, unfortunately), and bolted across the meadow. She bucked her hind legs in panic, eyes wide with fear. Hearing the commotion, Owen ran over from where he had been working and tried to calm her down, restraining her by grabbing her horns.

"Claire! Claire!"

She tossed her head and snorted, stomping the earth hard enough to make little puffs of dust. Owen yanked her forward and put his hand on her snout, stroking her face while still holding her head in place with his other arm. She stared forward with an unfocused gaze, breathing in loud puffs. After a few seconds, she calmed down and looked up to meet Owen's eyes.

"I . . . I got spooked . . . There was a snake . . ."

Owen nodded and continued to rub her snout.

"I know, I know. It's okay. The snake is gone now."

Claire took a few shaky breaths, knees knocking. She scanned the grass for any sign of the serpent, then sat down and hunched her shoulders in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to do."

As Owen shook his head, Blue strutted forward cockily.

"Who's afraid of a little snake? It wasn't even poisonous!"

Claire gulped.

"I'm not afraid of snakes. They just- Whenever I see one- Look, I can't _control_ it, okay?"

Owen held her back as she snorted defensively.

"Claire, Claire, it's okay. It's over. Just take deep breaths. It's okay . . ."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then let out her air with a sharp flitter of her plates.

"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm going back to the house. I have to . . . I have to go."

She stumbled away, still a little distraught. Owen caught Blue smirking, and gave her a stern look.

"Blue, I don't know what happened, but this isn't making you look good. If it was an accident, fine, but I'm telling you that if it happens again, you're out of here."

It took her a while to realize that he was dead serious.

***TSJWFEW***

Barry jumped as Owen entered the house, slamming the door behind him. The impact made his orange juice ripple on the kitchen table. Owen looked around rapidly, fidgeting in agitation.

"Which way did Claire go?"

"Upstairs."

Owen nodded and jogged up to his room. He found Claire sitting on the bed, reading her old diary. He inched forward, wondering whether or not it was okay to interrupt her. Although she had not acknowledged his presence, there was no doubt that she knew he was there. She began to read aloud without looking up at him.

"I like your scales. They're radiant and shiny. I like your beak. It's good for kissing, and when you moo, it means you're enjoying yourself, which makes me even happier."

She met his gaze.

"Do you remember writing this, Owen?"

He nodded.

"I like your feet. I can tell where you are by your footsteps, and I take comfort in knowing that you'll always be near. I _love_ your belly. It's warm and cuddly and good for hugs. I like your plates. When you have enough courage, they help you fly. I like your tail. Whenever it swings back and forth, I know you're happy. The best part about it is that it's covered in spikes, and one of those spikes carries a ring. That one is my favorite. I know you think no one likes you because you're a dinosaur, but that's not true. You're one of a kind. There is only one Stegoclaireatops, and I'm lucky enough to be her husband. All of your friends are proud to know you. You are beautiful. The world is a better place, because you are in it."

Claire smiled.

"You have the whole thing memorized."

He put his arms around her neck.

"It would be hard to forget the things I like about you."

They shared a kiss. Claire gave Owen a little squeeze before letting him go.

"I'm sorry I let the snake incident upset me."

"That's okay," Owen mumbled as he nuzzled her chest, "No matter how bad you feel, you'll always have those words to come back to."

"Bad _ly_ ," Claire corrected.

He shoved her playfully, and she bumped him with her front horn. They chased each other through the hall and down the staircase. Barry looked up from the newspaper he had been reading and smiled.

"You two are in a good mood."

Claire laughed and nudged Owen with her tail.

"We won't stay that way if you keep shirking fence duty."

"Yeah, shouldn't you be with the others?" Owen asked as he poured himself a drink.

"I was actually going to talk to you about that," Barry said, "I was thinking that Delta could come back to Isla Nublar with me after Lily's birthday."

Owen snorted.

"Good luck with that. She won't leave the squad."

"She might."

"What makes you say that?"

"We slept together."

Owen had made the unfortunate decision to sip his drink at that exact moment. He spat out a cloud of mist, then coughed noisily.

"YOU DID _WHAT_?!"

"I slept with Delta. It's no big deal."

"THAT'S _DISGUSTING_ , BARRY! SHE'S A DINOSAUR!"

Barry crossed his arms.

"And what is Claire?" he retorted.

Taking this as a cue to leave, Claire frowned and marched out the back door. Owen stared at Barry with disbelief.

"Oh my god . . . Oh my god . . . Why did you DO this? It's so messed up . . ."

"Not really," Barry said with a shrug, "She's a human now, and a very attractive one, at that."

Owen ran his fingers through his hair.

"Christ . . . Look, maybe we can fix this. I mean, if it was a one time thing-"

"Actually, it was more like fifteen . . . and a half."

Owen's jaw dropped.

"FIFTEEN?! Barry, you haven't even been here for three days!"

"I know. But we found the time. Anyway, I don't think you should be upset about this."

"Why not?"

"It's about time I settled down, and at least it's with someone you know, so we won't have to worry about growing apart."

Owen moaned.

"Oh my god . . . And what makes you think this is going to last that long?"

"I asked her to marry me."

Owen banged his head against the wall repeatedly.

"Barry . . . Oh my god . . . Barry . . ."

He shrugged.

"What can I say? We were meant to be together. You know how it is."

"I don't."

"Do you love Claire?"

Owen nodded.

"Of course I do. Forever. But this is different. It's so sudden-"

"I've known her for years."

"But you've only been an item for . . . well, less than a week."

Barry put his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

"Owen, if you were sure that she'd say yes, would you have married Claire when you first realized that you were in love?"

Owen stared at him for a long time. Finally, he let out a sigh of defeat and sat down at the other end of the table.

"Congratulations, I guess."

"You'll be at the wedding, right?"

Owen put his head on the table and let out an exasperated groan.

***TSJWFEW***

"TRAITOR!"

Delta stumbled backwards as Blue swiped at her face.

"I'm not a traitor! I fell in love!"

"You were going to _abandon_ us!" Blue snarled.

Delta dodged another attack, nearly falling over.

"So what? You don't care about me!"

"I need you for the plan!"

Delta hissed and raised her head in defiance.

" _What_ plan? You've _failed_ , Blue. Owen is in love with Claire, and you'll never tear them apart. No matter how many snakes you throw at them, there's no way you can cause enough trouble to make them split. Owen loves his wife, and he's going to find out what you're up to sooner or later. You can't do this."

"I have to!" she snapped.

"Why?"

"BECAUSE HE WAS MEANT TO BE WITH _ME_!"

Delta stared at Blue as though she was seeing her for the first time. She shook her head in disbelief, stunned and a little bit frightened.

"You . . . You lied. You're not trying to show Owen the way. You're trying to get him to love you."

Blue grabbed her by the front of her shirt.

"I _changed_ for him! Do you know how much I _sacrificed_?"

Delta pushed her away.

"Stop it!"

Blue made a lunge for her, but Delta scratched her cheek. They fell away from each other, both shocked that this had happened. After catching her breath, Delta glowered at the person whom she had once called her sister.

"Give it up, Blue. It's over."

With a furious roar, Blue charged into the cabin. She had no doubt that Delta would try to find Barry, so the best she could do was locate Owen and try to spin this whole mess in her favor. When she didn't see him in the living room, she went upstairs. He wasn't there either, but she did see a book lying on his bed. She picked it up for no real reason and began to read.

 _I like your horns . . ._

 _I like your frill . . ._

 _I like your scales . . ._

Trembling with anger, she tore the page from the diary and crumpled it up in her fist. She tossed the ball of paper out the window, then threw the vandalized book to the ground. Barely suppressing her tears of rage, she stormed down the hall to gather what was left of the squad. With any luck, they'd still be on her side.

***TSJWFEW***

"I heard stomping. Do you think everything is okay?" Charlie asked.

Lily looked up at the basement ceiling.

"Yeah, it wasn't loud enough to be my mom. I'm not really worried about anyone else. Your move, by the way."

Charlie rolled the dice. One of the cubes slipped off of the board and fell under an old cabinet. Lily bent down to retrieve it, but found that it was too far for her to reach.

"Shoot. We lost it."

Charlie whimpered.

"I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal," Lily mumbled, "We just need to find a ruler. I'll ask my mom if she has one. Wait here."

She pattered up the stairs to see if her mother was in the kitchen.

"Mom?"

Receiving no reply, she entered the living room.

"Mo-om!"

Still nothing. She climbed to the top floor, her tail swishing impatiently.

"Mom? Mom? Mom?"

She poked her head into her parents' room.

"Mom, are you-"

She noticed a book lying on the ground. With a puzzled frown, she picked it up in order to place it back where it belonged. When she saw that the content was written by hand, she wondered if it had been inscribed by one of her parents. She started to read it out of curiosity.

 _I hate my horns. They get in the way whenever I try to turn my head._

Lily gave a puzzled frown and touched her own horns before continuing.

 _I hate my frill. It's heavy and it makes it hard for me to walk through small doors._

Lily's hand made its way to her frill. The words were starting to trouble her. Was this written by her mother?

 _I hate my scales. They're green and ugly._

Lily had scales. They weren't green, but . . .

 _I hate my beak. It clicks when I eat, and whatever's inside of it causes me to moo._

Lily thought hard. Did her own beak click when she ate? She wasn't sure, but she was positive that she had mooed more than once in the past week.

 _I hate my feet. They aren't useful in the slightest, and I have to ask the dragons to make me special tools so that I can accomplish the most menial of tasks._

Lily's feet were a cross between her mother's stumpish legs and her father's hands. They _were_ kind of clumsy . . .

 _I hate my belly. It's massive and wobbly and it makes me hungry all the time._

Lily certainly wasn't skinny, she remarked with regret.

 _I hate my plates. They clatter around and weigh me down._

Lily looked over her shoulder at her not-quite-plates. They were different from the normal kind, but they _were_ rather heavy . . .

When she read the next paragraph, Lily felt her heart skipping beats. She started breathing faster and faster, panicked by what her mother had written.

 _I hate my tail. It's gross enough having an extra appendage, but it's covered in spikes, which means I'm a danger to everyone around me. Everything about being a dinosaur is terrible. Of all the animals I could have ended up being, a stegoceratops is the worst possible one. I am repulsive. The world would be better off without me._

Lily stared at the page with wide eyes, then flipped it over. The rest of the book was filled with diary entries, and most of them were dated before her birth year. She couldn't stop herself from glossing over them.

 _March 31st_

 _Just had an argument with Owen. He's been trying to coax me into doing chores by rewarding me with carrots. Sometimes, I think he's completely dense. How did he even expect me to react when I found out? Whether he means to or not, he treats me like a big, dumb animal. I guess I am. Owen's still trying to pretend that I'm something else, though. I wish I could believe him._

Lily frowned in confusion and turned to another random page.

 _June 2nd_

 _Cried for two hours because I couldn't pick up a pencil with my foot. I feel pathetic._

What did she mean by that? As far as Lily knew, her mother wrote with her mouth. She flipped the page to learn more.

 _June 3rd_

 _Started simultaneously laughing and crying last night. Owen and I had to stop what we were doing. I can tell that he's mad at me, but what did he expect? We shouldn't be doing this in the first place._

Lily gulped. She didn't want to continue, but . . .

 _September 19th_

 _Just got word that June died. I guess my charity was all for nothing. I keep telling myself that I wouldn't want to change the way things turned out, but I have to wonder . . ._

Lily turned back a few pages. She immediately wished she hadn't.

 _July 3rd_

 _It's getting worse. I'm trying to stay positive, but I can't forget the fact that I'm a stupid, ugly dinosaur. I hate this. I hate this so much. I want to go back in time and erase everything that happened. I want to be myself again. I want to be_

Lily's eyes went wide.

 _human._

She stared at the word for what felt like an eternity, then flipped back to the very first page. All of a sudden, things were starting to fall into place. It made perfect sense. Her mother used to be a human, just like her father. Her self-loathing comments stemmed from the fact that she was not what she was supposed to be. That's why she hated being a stegoceratops. That's why she hated the idea of hybrids in general. She was repulsed by the very existence of her species, which meant . . .

Lily dropped the book and backed away from it in horror. Tears brimming at her eyes, she ran into her room and fell on the bed, sobbing heavily. She looked up and saw the button eyes of her stuffed cow staring down at her. With a feeble whimper, she gave the toy a doleful hug.

"I can't stay here anymore, Clarence. My own mother doesn't want me. She hates being a stegoceratops. She hates . . . me."

She sniffled and slipped down from the bed.

"She hates me."

Lily limped over to her desk and turned on her reading lamp. She began to write a note, which became smudged in places because of the tears that hit the page. When she was done, she placed the letter by her stuffed animal and gave him a goodbye kiss. Once she had taken one last look at her room, she snuck down to the main floor and opened the front closet. She grabbed an old backpack and filled it with food from the fridge, then walked out the door forever. She did turn back once to look at her home, but she could hardly see it through her tears.

***TSJWFEW***

"Have you seen Lily?"

Claire turned to look at Charlie as she trotted up the stairs.

"I thought she was with you."

"No, she went looking for you so we could get something out from underneath the cabinet. Didn't you see her?"

Claire shook her head.

"No. She's probably in her room napping. She tends to get distracted. I'll bring her down."

Claire made her way upstairs.

"Lily? You there? Charlie is waiting for you."

She opened the door to Lily's room.

"Lily?"

She wasn't there. Claire was about to search the rest of the house, but she noticed a note lying on her daughter's bed. She frowned in confusion and picked it up. As her eyes scanned the page, they grew wide with terror. Front feet trembling, Claire dropped the note and dashed into her own room. She noticed her diary sitting on the ground and tossed her head in distress.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

She whipped around and charged down the stairs.

"LILY! LILY!"

Charlie ran up to her.

"What's wrong? Where's-"

"She ran away! Quick, find Owen!"

Claire sprinted out of the house and thundered across the field. Owen and Charlie caught up, approaching her from the side.

"Claire!" Owen shouted, "What's going on?"

"Lily knows! She _knows_! She's trying to leave! Owen, we have to _stop_ her!"

His eyes went wide.

"Oh my god. Charlie, gather the others. We need to stop Lily before she reaches the border."

"Why?"

"If she wanders too far, she'll break the spell! Hurry!"

Charlie dashed away. Owen hopped on Claire's back, and they charged towards the forest.

"Do you think she went this way?" he shouted.

"I don't know!" Claire gasped, "We have to keep going. We can't let her reach the perimeter."

"How long has she been gone?"

"I don't know!" Claire cried, "I just found the note!"

Owen nodded rapidly.

"Okay. Okay. We still have time. We can reach her. We can make it."

As he spoke, the sky began to crack. Gold fissures appeared far above their heads, crossing the stars in jagged veins. Claire watched it happen with wide eyes. All of a sudden, the magical shield shattered into a million pieces. Glowing fragments fell to the ground, dissolving along the way. Claire felt as though she was bolted in place. Slowly, she lifted her front foot and caught a string of sparkling dust. It slipped from her hand and disappeared with the rest of the dome.

"Oh my god . . ." Owen whispered.

With shaky knees, Claire looked out at the land that lay beyond their borders.

"We're too late. She's gone."


	87. Tesseract Goop

Claire sobbed heavily with her head resting in Owen's lap. She could feel his tears falling on her face, mixing with her own. She knew that he was doing his best to stop himself from crying, but although he was very good at doing so, the overwhelming sense of loss was too much for him to bear. He joined Claire in her mourning, shedding tears like never before. Charlie, it seemed, was doing the same. She sat sniffling in the corner of the room, arms wrapped around her legs. She clearly wasn't comfortable sharing her emotions with anyone for the time being. The rest of the squad watched the depressing scene with sad faces. Well, everyone except for Blue. She had methodically positioned herself so that no one could see her facial expression. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because Claire was too busy weeping to care what she was up to.

"We should have told her! We should have told her right from the start!" she wailed.

Owen stroked her muzzle.

"Shhh . . . We'll find her . . . We'll find her . . . We'll make things right."

Claire writhed around in agony.

"This is all my fault! She left because of what I wrote in that stupid diary! I drove my own daughter out of our home!"

In her lonely little corner, Charlie could no longer control her tears.

"I shouldn't have let her go upstairs! If I had gone to get you instead, none of this would have happened. We were supposed to be sisters, and I failed her!"

Claire sniffled and walked over to the distressed raptor.

"Don't blame yourself. This happened because of my mistake. You had nothing to do with it."

She hugged the poor girl, who seemed surprised by the action. Owen stood up quickly when he saw headlights through the window.

"Barry has the truck. Blue, Echo, Foxtrot, go with him. Charlie, Delta, stay here in case Lily comes back. Claire, we'll track her on our own."

Claire gave Charlie a quick nuzzle before following Owen outside. He grabbed a flashlight that was lying by the door on his way out, then took a deep breath to steady his voice.

"Are you sure the note didn't say where she was going?"

Claire nodded.

"I double-checked. She wouldn't have a plan, anyway, since she's never been this far from home."

Her voice broke at the end of her sentence. Owen winced and scanned the ground for footprints.

"Barry said that he wasn't able to find a trail. I wish she had taken the damn motorcycle, but at least this means she'll travel slowly. It's dark, but if we look hard enough-"

"No," Claire interrupted, "We've already wasted enough time. If she's headed down the main road, Barry and the others will reach her before she gets too close to the nearest town. If she's anywhere else, _we_ need to be the ones to find her, which means we can't expend all of our energy on a task that may prove to be futile. We need to find out where, _precisely_ , she went."

"How? She didn't leave a trail!"

"Not the kind of trail _you're_ thinking of . . ."

Claire pressed her nose to the ground and started rooting around. After waddling through the grass a little, she lifted her head.

"This way."

***TSJWFEW***

Lily gasped as she tripped over an exposed root. She fell to her knees, tearing up out of surprise and humiliation. She had been crying for a very long time. Whenever she thought she was done, something would trigger her into weeping again. She wanted to feel warm and safe at home, but she also wanted her mother to be happy, and that meant that she would have to leave forever. When she thought about how much her mother must hate her, Lily's lip began to quiver. She sat down, dropping her backpack, and sniffled heavily. As fresh tears streaked down her face, she lifted her hand and looked at it in the moonlight. Until now, it had never occurred to her that she was ugly, but she was beginning to see herself with different eyes. She was not a human and not a stegoceratops. She was practically nothing. Or maybe it was worse than that. Maybe she was a monster. A terrifying, disgusting monster that no one loved.

Lily opened her mouth and let out a heartbroken moo. Now that she knew what she truly was, she would have to live out the rest of her life as a lonely hermit, wandering the woods for decades and never seeing another person for as long as she lived. She'd stay far away from the world that despised her, and in doing so, she would reconcile her horrid existence. As long as she remained distant from people, there would be no one to hate her.

Determined to travel as far away from her home as possible, Lily picked up her backpack and started walking again. She had barely moved ten paces when she heard a twig snap. She froze, replaying the sound in her mind to analyze what it was. After a moment, she decided that it wasn't anything sinister and kept going.

"SCREEEEEEEEE!"

Lily screamed in terror as something landed on her back and dug its claws into her skin. She bolted forward and slammed her body against a tree, dislodging the creature. It tumbled through the grass, then sprung to its feet. Lily adopted a defensive pose, ready to fight if necessary, but when she saw who her attacker was, her face softened. Eyes wide, she examined the raptor from head to toe, jaw hanging in disbelief.

"Liam? . . ."

The raptor pulled his head back in surprise.

"How do you know my name?"

"We went to the same school. Don't you remember me?"

Liam narrowed his eyes. When he recognized her, he seemed shocked.

"Lily?!"

She nodded.

"Yes, it's me. I'm not sure who you thought I was. Maybe you're used to other dinosaurs . . ."

Liam blinked.

"What? Oh, yeah. I thought you were a camel or something. I didn't recognize you. You've grown."

Lily's face fell.

"A camel? . . ."

Liam smoothed back his crest of red feathers suavely.

"Sorry for jumping on you like that. I haven't eaten for days, and you seemed like kind of an easy target."

Lily frowned.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Liam shrugged.

"Oh, I dunno. You were just kind of sitting there, that's all."

Lily glowered at him.

"For your information, I'm in the depths of despair because my mother _despises_ me, and if that wasn't the case, you would have walked away from our fight with more than light bruising."

Liam scoffed.

"Typical. You know, if you spent less time caring about your mother and more time doing anything else, you'd be a lot happier."

Lily cocked her head.

"I don't understand."

Liam puffed out his chest proudly.

"I ran away from home to learn how to be a real raptor. Nobody appreciates me where I come from, so I decided to be a lone dinosaur. A few days ago, I snuck through a magic portal thing and came out in this world, where no one can follow. If I cared about what my mother thought, I wouldn't _be_ here."

Lily grinned.

"You're running away? Me too! Do you want to run away together?"

Liam cringed.

"Uh . . ."

"What's the matter?" Lily asked.

"Nothing. It's just . . . um . . . Well, you're not exactly helpful towards my plan."

Lily shrunk away in embarrassment.

"I . . . I just thought . . ."

"Look, it's nothing personal. I just don't like to associate myself with non-raptors, that's all."

Lily looked down at her feet.

"You think I'm ugly, don't you?"

Liam hummed.

"Yeah, kind of, but I won't hold that against you."

Lily started sniffling. Seeing that he'd upset her, Liam backed away awkwardly.

"Um . . . What I meant to say was . . . uh . . . while you're not what most people would consider 'traditionally good-looking', you have a kind of unique . . . flavor . . ."

Lily wailed and buried her face in her hands, falling forward like a dead tree. Liam gulped and inched towards her, reaching out very slowly.

"Um, don't cry, okay? I _really_ don't like the crying . . ."

Lily ignored him. Liam watched her bawl her eyes out for a while, then gave a sigh of defeat.

"Do you want to come with me?"

She peeked out at him from between her fingers.

"Come with you where?"

"Wherever we decide to go," he said cheerfully, "We're independent now, which means there are no adults to tell us what to do."

Lily's face lit up. She reached out and grabbed him before he could run away, squeezing the air out of her new friend's lungs as she gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"Lily . . ."

"You're the best!"

"Lily . . ."

"Seriously. The best."

"LILY!"

"Am I squeezing you too tight?"

"LILY, RUN!"

"What do you m-"

Suddenly, there was a loud roar. Lily dropped the frightened raptor and turned around. A giant grizzly bear was standing right behind her. She screamed and charged through the forest, stumbling down a steep hill. Liam followed, pursued by the bear. Because he was faster and more agile, he passed Lily in a matter of seconds. At the base of the hill, Lily slipped and fell. She landed painfully on her side. As the grizzly approached her, she tried to get to her feet, but found that her tail had become tangled in a nearby bush. She shrieked and kicked her legs, but it was no use. She was stuck.

"HELP!" Lily cried, "PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Liam skidded to a halt and turned around. Lily looked at him with pleading eyes. Although he was undoubtedly as afraid as she was, Liam changed his path, going back to save her. He tugged on the branches she was caught in, grunting with effort. His eyes went wide as the bear drew near.

"Lily . . ."

"Don't leave me!" she shrieked.

"I . . . I don't know if-"

They squinted as a bright light shone in their eyes. There was a shrill whistle, and for a moment, Lily thought that an even worse monster was trying to destroy them. Fortunately, the light and whistle did not belong to a living creature, but rather, a train. Although it posed no threat, the bear seemed to be intimidated by the vehicle, and promptly retreated into the woods. Lily let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close."

"Too close, if you ask me!"

She blinked in confusion at the energetic voice. A slim hand turned the light of the train to its original setting, and when the spots cleared from Lily's vision, she saw a woman standing on top of the engine. She jumped down and landed a few feet away from Lily, then stood up and strutted forward, tapping a black cane merrily. She was wearing a very odd outfit, Lily remarked. Her black, sparkling coat had long tails and sharp shoulders, and her boots went all the way up to her knees. There was a large, purple plume in her top hat, fastened in place by a violet gem. The woman lifted her cane, and Lily shrunk away in fear, but she simply tapped the bush that was wrapped around her tail, causing it to wither and fall apart as if by magic. Lily hesitated before taking the woman's hand, but decided that it would be best to accept whatever help she was offered.

"Looks like you got into a bit of a scrap with that Ursus arctos, but you're safe now. Name's Tesseract Goop. Sounds odd, but nobody cares when you're in the circus."

Lily cocked her head.

"Circus?"

The woman gave a sharp nod.

"Best circus in the world, kid! I travel across the country, performing for millions of adoring fans. Say, you look like you're running away. Maybe you'd like to join me!"

Lily's face lit up.

"Really?"

Tesseract Goop nodded.

"Sure, sure. Almost all of my cast were once lonely children who decided to run away from home. You'd fit right in!"

Before Lily could accept, Liam stepped in front of her protectively.

"Wait, wait, wait. Something's not right here. Lily ain't your average dinosaur. How come you didn't ask her where she came from?"

Tesseract Goop shrugged.

"Why would I? She seems like a pretty normal girl to me. Maybe even above average in the looks department."

Lily beamed.

"Really? You think so?"

"Of course I do. Who wouldn't admire horns like that, am I right?"

Lily blushed.

"Thank you Tesser- um, Tessera-"

"Call me Tess," the woman chirped, "Much shorter, much easier. You're gonna want to save time if we're to work together."

Liam snorted.

"She's not working for you."

Lily frowned.

"Says who? I can do what I want. I'm almost sixteen."

Tess nodded.

"Ain't no use arguing with a lady who's made up her mind. You've made a wise decision, Lily. I'm no ordinary ringmaster, you see. I have access to powerful magic, and in return for your services, I can grant you your heart's desire."

With this, Liam perked up.

"Heart's desire? Like wishes and stuff?" he asked.

Tess winked.

"Of course. I can make all of your dreams come true . . . Well, actually just one, unless you want to work for more. But I can do anything. Almost anything."

Liam rubbed his chin.

"Hm . . . That might not be such a bad idea. If I work for you, can I have a wish too?"

She nodded.

"Absolutely. Follow me to the train, and we'll get started."

The two young dinosaurs gave each other an excited look, then boarded the locomotive as it began to chug through the mountains. Wherever they were headed, Lily was certain that it would be better than where she had come from.


	88. Lily's Wish

"Do you see her?" Owen called as he watched Claire flittering above the trees.

"No! It's dark. Give me a minute."

Claire knew, of course, that she didn't _have_ a minute. Flying with her plates required a massive amount of energy, and she was starting to lose focus. Every muscle in her back was screaming for her to take a break, but she had already decided that that wasn't an option. Her baby girl was somewhere out there in the forest, lost and frightened and all alone. She couldn't give up now.

"Claire, maybe you should come down," Owen shouted.

"I can't!" she groaned, "I lost her scent. This is . . . our only . . . hope."

She could feel her plates slowing down. Gradually, without wanting to, she sunk. When she landed, Claire lay on her side, panting with exhaustion. Owen ran over to where she had touched down and rubbed her snout, but she was beyond comfort.

"What have I done? . . ." she whispered, "I've failed our family, but Lily most of all. I just wanted her to feel like she had nothing to be ashamed of, but in the end, my own doubt ruined her. I don't know if I can ever make things right . . ."

Owen cradled her head.

"No, Claire, don't say that. We can fix this. Once we find Lily, we'll explain everything. We'll tell her how much we love her-"

Claire shook her head.

"She won't believe me. I lied to her, and now she can never trust me again."

Owen's face hardened.

"That's not true. For sixteen years, you've devoted every last ounce of your energy to raising that child, teaching her right from wrong and giving her all the love that she deserves. She adores you, Claire, and one mistake won't be enough to change the way she feels about you. We need to bring her back, and once we sort this out, everything will be just fine."

Claire was about to reply, but she heard light footsteps coming towards them. Charlie stumbled out of the forest, panting and wheezing.

"The others are back. They didn't find Lily on the main road. There aren't enough of us to search the forest, but Barry says he has a plan."

"What plan?" Owen asked.

"I'll explain along the way. For now, make a mental packing list. We're going on a little trip."

***TSJWFEW***

Lily gawked in amazement as Tess led Liam and her through the train. They passed through sleeping quarters, storage areas, and kitchens, but the most impressive part of the train was the box car for storing animals. There were all kinds of trained beasts in the cages that lined the walls, from tigers to elephants to white horses. Tending the livestock were beefy men, some of whom seemed shorter than the norm. They peeked at Lily over their shoulders, making her rather nervous with their stares. Tess didn't seem to notice this.

"Welcome to Tesseract Goop's Traveling Circus. Here, you'll find the finest livestock and the most enthusiastic cast. I treat my employees well, and thus, they're glad to be working here."

Lily tried to get a look at one of the men shoveling hay, but he turned so that she couldn't see his face. Tess opened the back door, and they moved to the next compartment.

"We have clowns, acrobats, strongmen, freaks-"

Liam tapped his toe impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, got it. Can we hear about the wishes now?"

Tess smiled.

"Of course."

She pulled back a thick, purple curtain, revealing something that looked very much like a private room. Judging by the fancy bookshelves, plush couches, and ornate paintings, Lily guessed that it belonged to Tess herself.

"This here is my office. Little small, little cozy, but serves its purpose well. I'll just grab a contract and fill it out for you. Then you sign. Simple as that."

Lily sat down in front of a table which was supporting a large, transparent sphere. She stared at the object with curiosity. Tess gave her a nod.

"That's exactly what you think it is. Not fully functional, since it only shows the past and present, but it comes in handy every now and then."

Lily stared into the crystal ball.

"So you're telling me that you can actually see visions in this thing?"

Tess nodded.

"That's how I knew you were in trouble . . . among other things . . ."

She turned around and reached for a scroll on a high shelf. While she was distracted, Lily brushed her hand over the crystal ball, wondering if she could see something too. All at once, she was confronted by a horrific vision. In her mind's eye, she saw a dark figure writhing around in pain. It looked like a stegoceratops, but it was no one Lily recognized. She drew her hand away fearfully, hoping Tess hadn't noticed that she'd been interacting with the device. Luckily for her, she was busy writing something on the scroll.

"Alright, now all you have to do is sign this form, and you're mine for the next few months," Tess trilled as she placed the fancy piece of parchment in front of her guests.

Lily blinked.

"Months? . . ."

Tess nodded.

"You can't just join the circus for a day or two. I need to be sure that you're ready to commit. It shouldn't be a big deal. You don't have anywhere else to be, do you?"

Lily bit her lip. Her mother had warned her not to sign contracts without reading them over carefully, and something about this deal was rubbing her the wrong way. To be bound to this circus for months at a time felt wrong somehow, just as though she was handing over her life to a complete stranger. Tess had a point, though. Being a part of this act was better than wandering aimlessly through the wilderness. And then there was the matter of her wish . . .

"I can't go back to where I came from," Lily whispered, "My mother doesn't want me anymore, and I'm sure my father doesn't either. I have nowhere else to go."

Liam nudged her shoulder.

"Lily, are you sure you're not just being a teenager? I mean, I came here to be the raptor I've always dreamed of being, but you seem to want something else. Would you rather be back home?"

She shook her head.

"Here, I have a chance to _be_ someone. If I work hard, I might be able to make up for the fact that I'm . . . that I'm _me_. More than anything, I want to make my parents proud, but I can't do that by just being myself. If I can become _more_ than what I am, they'll have a reason to love me. That's what I want more than anything in the world."

"Are you sure they don't love you already?" Liam asked, "I mean, if they raised you for so long, they must have had _some_ attachment to you."

Lily shook her head.

"I was a burden. They're probably much happier, now that I'm out of the picture."

Liam gave her an uncertain look.

"I'm not sure about this. What if they come looking for you?"

The faintest of smiles breezed across Tess' face.

"You could fool yourself into believing that they'd come back for you, Lily, but you'd be wasting your time on a dream that may never come true. It's much more sensible to take advantage of the opportunity you've been given. Will you take charge of your own destiny, or will you let the world decide for you?"

She held out a quill, which Lily snatched from her with a furrowed brow.

"I'll do it, and as for my wish, I want my mother to be happy."

Tess shook her head.

"I don't operate in abstracts, honey. I need something concrete."

Lily thought hard.

"Then I want you to make her human again."

Tess smiled slowly.

"That, I can do. Just sign here."

***TSJWFEW***

On a private jet, one large enough to carry a stegoceratops and seven other passengers, those precise people were about to cross the border that separated Tennessee and North Carolina. Owen sat next to Claire, who was lying in the aisle because she was too large for a seat. Charlie, Echo, Blue, and Foxtrot were sitting in the back row with three stuffed duffel bags lying at their feet. They had grabbed pretty much anything they could find before leaving the house, including random clothing and a ridiculous number of old horseshoes. There hadn't really been time to plan ahead, but Owen trusted in Barry's ability to save his ass when he needed it. Speaking of Barry, he was in the bathroom with Delta, and no one dared disturb them for fear of learning what they were up to.

"So how exactly did he manage to hire this plane?" Claire asked, groggy from being awake for so long.

"Barry . . . He has connections," Owen began, "He gets really sensitive about it, though, so I wouldn't bring it up. Let's just say that he's from a privileged family and leave it at that."

Echo grunted as she tried to pull a slim sock over her foot. She struggled to stretch the fluffy thing, then gave up with a bitter sigh.

"Who on Earth has feet this small?"

Owen laughed.

"That's a horn-cozy, Echo. It's not meant for feet."

She looked at it with narrow eyes.

"That makes sense. I guess we'd better find clothing that fits us when we land, considering I've been wearing the same shirt for three weeks."

Claire nodded.

"We can get you something decent eventually, but for now, I'd like to focus on searching for Lily. If you'd prefer to do some shopping on your own-"

Echo shook her head.

"No, Claire, I'm with you all the way. Lily is family. I won't rest until she's found."

"Me neither," Foxtrot declared, "Lily is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Even though she's basically prey, I feel emotionally attached to her."

"She's my sister," Charlie whispered, "We made a promise to each other, and I'm prepared to honor it."

Claire gave the faintest of smiles.

"Thank you. That really means a lot to me. Once Lily is safe in my arms, I promise to do everything I can to make you feel at home on our ranch. If you want to be a part of our family, I won't stop you."

Echo stood up and walked over to Claire with a serious face. She wrapped her arms around her neck and started purring. Charlie did the same, then Foxtrot joined in too. Owen smiled and gave them all a hug before sitting down and taking a deep breath.

"I know things look bleak right now, but I'm confident that Barry can help us fix this. If we work together, nothing can stop us."

"What about the end of the world?" Blue asked as she flipped through her in-flight magazine.

"Nothing's the end of the world," Owen said firmly, "We can get through anything together."

Claire nodded.

"That's true. We've been in tough situations before, some so bad that we thought we'd never recover, but we've always kept our wits about us. We just-"

All of a sudden, she jolted. Owen undid his seatbelt and knelt down beside her.

"Claire? . . ."

She caught her breath.

"I'm fine. It was just-"

She gasped and arched her back. Owen stumbled backwards in panic as she rolled onto her side.

"Claire!"

She gasped for air, kicking her legs violently. The others gathered around her, but Owen pushed them back.

"Give her some space!"

Claire curled up in a ball, then arched her back again, screaming like she'd never screamed before. She thrashed around in agony and trumpeted with fear. Owen struggled to hold her still, hoping to minimize the damage she was doing to herself, but she very nearly impaled him with her horn. It would have gone right through his chest, in fact, if it hadn't begun to shrink at that very moment. The bone was pulled back into her head in spurts, and its twin followed. Claire shrieked and rolled onto her belly, and Owen was alarmed to see that her plates were disappearing too.

"Claire! What's going on?!"

She winced helplessly, tears streaming down her cheeks. The tissue around her tail began to recede, but it did so before the bones inside could adjust to the change. For this reason, her flesh tore apart in several places, exposing what lay beneath. Owen began to hyperventilate.

"CLAIRE!"

She opened her mouth to beg him for help, but instead of speaking, she coughed up blood. Owen held her in place, praying that she wouldn't choke. She screamed through the fluid and grabbed her belly, which was rippling unnaturally. The outer layer shrunk, crushing something inside of her. She tried to scream again, but what came out was a deep rasping sound. Owen watched her with tears in his eyes, utterly terrified. The rest of the raptors seemed petrified as well. Hearing the commotion, Barry and Delta stumbled out of the bathroom and gaped at the scene with horror.

"What the-"

"HELP US!" Owen bellowed.

Barry grabbed the first aid kit, but found that nothing inside was of use. The bones in Claire's legs, meanwhile, had begun to splinter and rearrange. Charlie whimpered and shrunk away in fear as not-quite-formed fingers shot out of Claire's front feet. It was then that Owen guessed what was happening, though he was powerless to stop it.

"Claire, hang on! Just hang on!"

New teeth began to appear along the edges of her beak, which was in the process of withering away. Piece by piece, her frill dissolved into hair, which landed on her uneven shoulders. She gurgled before throwing up something green and mushy, and Owen had to hold her back to stop her from falling into it. She was easier to restrain now, because she was about two thirds of her usual size. Skin was beginning to spread across her scales. She tried in vain to scratch it off. Some of her scales flaked away and fell to the floor, and when she saw this, she grabbed them and pressed them back in place, hoping that they might stay where they belonged. It was a futile effort, and soon she was in too much pain to resist the involuntary transformation.

Owen held his wife as she shrunk and shrunk and shrunk. Finally, her snout receded, and a fully human Claire lay in his arms, wearing the exact same clothing as the day she changed. For a while, Owen could do nothing but stare at this familiar stranger, but he realized that she was still recovering from the transformation, and decided to move her out of the bloody puddle she was kneeling in. He slipped his arm behind her back and carried her over to a seat near the front of the plane, where he laid her down and brushed the hair out of her face. She was sweating heavily, and seemed to be disoriented. Echo brought her a cup of water, and Owen offered it to her, only to have her turn her face away. She breathed in short gasps, but in this panic, she was becoming more lucid. Her wide eyes focused on the people that surrounded her, and Owen was alarmed to discover that her pupils were almost pinpricks. Just when he thought she might be brain-damaged, Claire's throat twitched. Her mouth hung open for a while before she could find the strength to speak.

"What . . . happened . . ."

Owen touched her cheek.

"Claire, are you hurt?"

She shook her head ever so slightly.

"Not . . . hurt," she rasped, "But . . . feel . . . funny . . ."

Tears brimmed at Owen's eyes. He laced his fingers through hers, and when she looked down at her own hands, her eyes went wider than ever before. She stood up quite suddenly and stumbled to the back of the plane. Owen tried to restrain her, but she pushed him away. She reached the bathroom and fell against the wall as she struggled with the door's handle. She finally opened it and collapsed over the sink. When she looked up at her reflection in the mirror, she became absolutely still. Owen stepped forward to take her hand, but stopped himself. There was no way to predict how she would react, and it was possible that she needed space. There was nothing stopping him from asking if this was the case, however.

"Claire?"

Slowly, she reached up and touched her cheek delicately, as if she was not convinced that the woman in the mirror was, in fact, her. Owen gulped and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Claire . . ."

"What have they done to me?"

Owen choked a little.

"Claire, I don't-"

"You should have let me die."

Owen was taken aback. He looked around helplessly, then wrapped her in his arms.

"Claire, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

She sobbed into his shoulder, shaking violently.

"Owen . . ."

"Claire, it's alright. It's going to be alright."

"Owen . . ."

"What?"

She sobbed.

"I'm a monster."


	89. Shadows

Lily ran through the forest. She turned her head every which way, but she couldn't see what she was looking for. She tried calling out, but her words were muddled. With a helpless whimper, she fell to the ground, placing her hands over her eyes.

"Lily . . ."

She knew who the voice belonged to even before she looked. Her mother was standing among the trees, shining like a gentle sun. She opened her arms invitingly.

"Lily, I'm here. You're safe, sweetheart."

She got to her feet and barreled forward, landing in the arms of the person she loved most in the world. She nuzzled her chest as tears began to sting at her eyes.

"Mama . . . Mama, I was so afraid . . ."

"I know. I'm here for you. I'm here."

Lily sniffled.

"But I don't understand . . . Why are you still a dinosaur? Tess said that she changed you."

She slipped from her arms. There was a heavy silence. Lily gulped nervously when she saw the way her mother was staring at her.

"Mom? . . ." she whispered.

"I could have been someone . . ."

Lily's lip quivered.

"Momma, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"My life ended the day you were born."

Lily began to sob.

"Mother . . ."

"I'm not your mother. You disgust me. You're a monster."

Lily screamed in fright as her mother dissolved into a shadowy figure. She did not know what she looked like as a human, but this terrifying creature had her voice.

"You're repulsive! I don't know why I ever let you live!"

Lily wept heavily.

"Mama . . . I'm sorry . . . I love you . . ."

"I _don't_ love you. Go away, Lily. And don't you _dare_ come back."

Lily wheeled around and dashed through the bare trees, which were beginning to curl into unnatural shapes. They grabbed at her like bony fingers, snatching her tail just as the bush had the day before. She was trapped.

The bear had returned. It roared and foamed at the mouth, hungry for stegoceratops meat. As it advanced, Lily saw her mother watching the whole thing happen.

"Mama . . . Mama, help!"

"You'd be better off dead."

"No, Mama! Please!"

"Die."

Lily screamed as the bear stood on its hind legs. Somehow, it changed into the dark figure she had seen in the crystal ball.

"Lily . . . You're one of us . . . Trust me . . . Trust me . . ."

"But my Mama-"

"She doesn't want you, Lily. Come, stay with me. I won't hurt you. We're friends . . ."

The silhouette sprouted sharp teeth. Lily screamed.

"No!"

"Lily . . ."

The monster closed in.

"WAKE UP!"

***TSJWFEW***

"Wake- AH!"

Liam gave a surprised yelp as Lily rolled over, nearly crushing him. He stumbled out of the way just in time and tapped his toes impatiently.

"Watch it! God, you herbivores are so _lazy_."

He stopped fidgeting when he saw that she was crying.

"Oh . . . Oh geez . . . Look, I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings . . ."

Lily wiped her nose with her wrist.

"No, it's not that. I had a nightmare."

Liam cocked his head.

"What kind of a nightmare?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Lily dragged herself to the corner of the box car and fell on her side with a deep grunt. Liam bit his lip and trotted over to her, unsure of how to comfort her.

"Hey . . . I'm sorry about your dream."

Lily didn't respond. He jumped up on her shoulder and tugged at her frill with his teeth.

"I said-"

"I know what you said," Lily muttered, "I don't feel like talking right now."

Liam made an uncertain chirping sound.

"O-okay."

He turned around, but didn't make it halfway before changing his mind.

"I like your eyes," he ventured.

Lily lifted her head.

"What?"

"I said I like your eyes. They're pretty."

Lily smiled.

"You really think so?"

Liam nodded.

"Mhm. Now, do you want to come with me and ask Tess if she has breakfast?"

Lily nodded eagerly.

"I'm starving. Do you think she has Flintstones vitamins too?"

Liam shrugged.

"Dunno. I guess we'll find out."

Lily smiled.

"She's really nice."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"Have you decided on your wish yet?"

Liam shook his head.

"I don't know what will make me a better raptor. I guess when I think of something, my contract will be put into effect. Lucky her, she gets a few days of free labor until I decide."

"It's not labor if you're having fun."

Liam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we'll see."

***TSJWFEW***

Owen stroked Claire's hair as she lay sleeping. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest, hyper aware of any change that might indicate that she was having a medical issue. If this were to happen, the others (minus Barry and Delta) were ready to rush to their aid. The happy couple, of course, was enjoying a private room: one far away from the other raptors. It wasn't easy finding a motel so late at night, but somehow, in the confusion that followed their exit from the airplane, Barry had saved their asses once more.

Claire shifted.

Owen leaned forward in anticipation, but nothing happened. He went back to running his fingers through what used to be a frill. He was trying his best not to glance at the rest of her body for fear that he might forget what she actually looked like. In his mind, he could picture with exact detail every part of her usual self, from her horns to the tip of her tail. When he came back to reality, the sight of this human made his heart drop. He was terrified that she'd be stuck this way forever, that he would never get to see the true Claire again. Her frill and horns and plates and tail might be gone for good, and the thought of this was more than he could bear.

In a way, it was ridiculous that he was mourning the loss of someone who was still with him, but although he knew that the person sleeping next to him was his wife, he couldn't help but feel like she was only half present. This Claire was the one who had ignored him, looked down on him, and generally hated him for a good long time. If the Claire he had married was gone forever, what was to stop this one from leaving him?

She shifted again, and his thoughts dissolved to make room for the fear that she might be hurt. She wasn't. Not physically. And it was still her, after all, inside of this body. Owen had no doubt that he could love this Claire as much as the dinosaur he had promised to grow old with, but it would take some getting used to. Then again, that would require him to let go of the real Claire, and he wasn't ready to do that yet.

"Is she dying?"

Owen looked up.

"Blue."

She pushed herself up from the doorway and stalked forward with a gentle smirk.

"There's a chance she'll never wake up."

"She's only sleeping," Owen said flatly.

"You could always suffocate her."

Owen clenched his fist.

"Blue . . ."

"Relax. I'm joking."

"That's not the kind of thing you joke about."

She laughed.

"What difference does it make? She can't hear us."

Owen stood up.

"Blue, you have to leave."

"You're disgusted by her, aren't you?"

Owen glared at her. She chuckled.

"I thought so. You're not attracted to that kind of thing anymore."

"That's not true."

Blue shrugged.

"Well, if it was, I just want you to know that I can change back whenever I want to. It's simple, really. Being human is the hard part."

Owen walked past her and shut the door. She looked hopeful until she realized that he was preparing for an interrogation.

"Did you do this to her?"

She scoffed.

"Of course not. How could I?"

"I don't know. But you were a raptor before this. It makes me suspicious."

Blue smiled.

"You can trust me, Owen."

"I can't, though. One of the raptors told me that you planted that snake to spook Claire."

She tensed up.

"Who?"

"You, just now."

Blue narrowed her eyes.

"Clever. But we both know that there's more going on here."

Owen nodded.

"Yes. Let's start with the missing page of Claire's diary. I can't help but think that if Lily had seen it, she might have doubted her decision to leave. I'll bet that made it easier for you to get close to me."

Blue scowled.

"You're being paranoid."

"Am I? Because from what I've seen, you haven't been a model citizen. Of all the raptors in our family, you've been the least helpful during the search for Lily. I'd even go so far as to say that you're apathetic towards our situation."

Blue shook her head.

"No . . . No . . . I've been trying to find her, just like you. Don't you know that?"

Owen leaned close to her and spoke in a harsh whisper.

"Blue, I've been letting you off easy until now, but that's about to change. If you so much as breathe the wrong way, I'll force you to leave."

She gave a crooked smile.

"You don't have to worry about me. I know you want me here, so I won't give you a reason to doubt my fidelity. But that won't matter in a few days. You'll realize that I'm right sooner or later . . . Alpha."

He let her go. A part of him wished that he had been more firm, but something told him that she wouldn't listen anyway. In any case, it was good that she was gone, because he wanted to be alone with Claire. He sat down beside her and put his hand on her forehead.

"Don't get sick, Claire. Not now. We can't lose you. Our family is already broken."

***TSJWFEW***

Lily held her breath as she wobbled unsteadily on an inflatable ball. After five seconds, she lost her balance and hopped off.

"How was that?"

"Perfect!" Tess trilled, "You're a natural. With a little practice, you'll be the best act in the show!"

Lily beamed with pride. For some reason, compliments were cheering her up more than usual on this particular day. Perhaps it was because Liam was such a sourpuss.

"Wow. She stood on a ball. Magnificent," he muttered as he swept the temporary stage that had been set up just outside of the motionless train.

"Now, don't go scolding the young lady, you grump," Tess teased, "She's going to change the world with her unique talents."

Lily wagged her tail.

"Do you think people will like me?"

"Undoubtedly! They'll come from all around the globe just to see you. You'll be the Amazing Lily. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like more than I could ever dream of," Lily gushed with starry eyes, "I never thought I could be this happy!"

Tess winked.

"Get used to it, kid. You're going to be a star, I guarantee it. Go break for lunch. I'm sure our chef has something nice for you."

Lily nodded to Liam, and they both climbed into the train. They made their way to the kitchen car, but found that the smell emanating from the stove was less than appealing.

"Don't worry," Lily said, "I might have something better in my backpack."

They returned to their sleeping quarters, where Lily dug up her bag. She rummaged through it until she found a jar of peanut butter.

"Want some?"

"Ew, no!" Liam snuffed, "I'm not a herbivore. You probably don't have anything suitable for my diet."

Lily frowned.

"Well, it can't hurt to check, Mr. Picky Eater."

She dumped out the bag's contents, and was surprised to find a wrapped package in the mess. She picked it up and turned it over. It was from her mother.

"What is it?" Liam asked.

"It's a birthday present," Lily marveled, "She must have hidden it in the backpack."

She stared at the gift quietly, as though she was contemplating some sort of philosophical puzzle. Liam blinked and gave her a nudge.

"Aren't you gonna open it?"

Lily shook her head slowly.

"No, not until . . ."

She did the math.

"Tomorrow. My birthday is tomorrow."

Liam was puzzled by her solemn expression.

"What's the matter? Don't you like birthdays?"

"I do. It's just . . . I've never spent one away from my family."

She placed the package on the ground. Tears began to slide down her cheeks.

"You miss them, huh?" Liam mumbled.

Lily sniffled and took a shaky breath.

"Yes, but they don't miss me. They think I'm disgusting."

Liam put his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?"

Lily nodded.

"My mother doesn't like stegoceratopses."

Liam perked up.

"Well, hey, that's not a problem! If Tess can change your mother, maybe she can change you too."

Lily stood up like a bolt of lightning.

"You're right! All I have to do is ask Tess! She'll help me!"

She sprinted over to the door and made her way outside. All alone, Liam crossed his arms and frowned.

"You're welcome . . ."

***TSJWFEW***

"Tess! Tess!"

The girl was at it again. Tesseract Goop finished the knot she was tying and replaced her scowl with a welcoming smile.

"Lily, hi! I thought you were having lunch!" she said through clenched teeth.

"I decided to put that on hold," the girl bubbled, "Tess, I've just had a wonderful- What are you doing?"

"Binding parts of the stage, but that's not important," she said as she dropped her rope, "What can I do for you?"

Lily bounced up and down with excitement.

"Well, I was just talking to Liam, and we were thinking- well, _I_ was thinking- you know, since tomorrow is my birthday and all-"

Tesseract Goop forced herself to laugh.

"Lily, calm down. Tell me what you need."

Lily held her hand. It took all of her strength to keep herself from cringing.

"I need to be human, Tess. I need you to change me."

She pursed her lips.

"Lily, I already changed your mother . . ."

"I know, I know, but _I_ need to change too. If I'm human, my momma will love me again, and I won't have to ever worry about being disgusting or- or- or inadequate."

Tesseract Goop gave her a sad look.

"Lily, darling, I'm afraid I can't change you. You've only signed one contract, and I need you to perform soon."

Lily rubbed her chin. She paced back and forth until an idea struck her.

"I know! I'll just sign another contract. If you really think I'm going to be a star, you'll want me to be in the show for longer than a few months. All I need to do is change into a human, say hi to my mom and dad, and spend the rest of my life traveling with the circus!"

"The rest of your life?" Tesseract Goop echoed.

"Uh-huh," Lily affirmed, "Your train passes by my house, so I can visit my parents whenever we're in town. They might even want to see the show!"

She nodded.

"Yes, that's a clever idea. Why don't you go get ready while I write up the papers?"

Lily nodded.

"Okay! Thank you, Tess!"

She watched the teenager skip away. When she was gone, Tesseract Goop pulled out her phone and dialed a long-distance number. She held the phone to her ear, still staring at the door that Lily had used to enter the train.

"Hello? Yes, it's me. This is going to be easier than I expected. I thought I might have to trick her, but she just screwed herself over all on her own. She's naïve, gullible . . . maybe even a little stupid. But that's only her. Something tells me it won't be smooth sailing once the mother gets here. You'd better send in the clones before things get too heated."

She looked at the train's caboose, which was beginning to crackle with something that looked like dark electricity.

"One more thing: my boss is getting anxious. Our winged friend is trying to win this battle from her side of the story, and she knows that I've been spying. It's all fair game, as far as I'm concerned, but I'm starting to worry. I've been told that she's not allowed to interfere directly, and that's fine by me. Trouble is, I received this information before her son got involved. He could screw this whole thing up if he uses his wish on something counterproductive to our plan . . . No, I'm not worried about it. He's a selfish little tyke. Probably wouldn't help her, even if he could . . . Yes, I promised to give him the wish already. I didn't see any harm in it, at the time. I didn't know he was related to her . . . Don't give me that shit. I've been checking the crystal regularly, but I'm only one person. You can't blame me for this one misstep . . . I know, but my boss will get involved if absolutely necessary. They won't stand a chance . . . Of course. It's my pleasure. You'll have my order by tomorrow, yes? . . . Good. Thank you, Dodgson."


	90. Jurassic Rim

Like many traumatic experiences, Claire's transformation was not perceived by her to be true until she was confronted with reality upon waking. She had been dreaming that she was a stegoceratops, and there was nothing odd about that, but it seemed to her that something felt wrong, even within her mind. She took a few minutes to wake up fully, and every time she saw her hand swimming in and out of her field of vision, she told herself that it was part of her dream. She realized that this was false, but continued to tell herself otherwise, afraid of facing something as horrid as her human self. It was only when her eyes opened for good that she was forced to give up on her denial. She flicked her fingers up and down to confirm that they belonged to her, then sat up in bed. Owen, she noticed, was not lying on her belly, as he usually did on cold nights. He had fallen asleep next to her, above the covers, probably by accident. She snuck away from him, sliding delicately off the bed, and limped towards a square mirror that was hanging on the wall.

First off, she noticed that she was slimmer than she remembered. As a dinosaur, she had exercised a great deal more than she had as a human, and when she pulled up the base of her tank top, she could even detect the faint outline of muscles beneath her skin. She wasn't one hundred percent fit, because on certain parts of her body, she could see the remnants of what used to be stretch marks. Those probably came from her pregnancy. She still had miscellaneous scars from the violent encounters she had been a part of, but most of them were faded, as it had been quite a while since she had been forced to fight. She wasn't sure that she remembered what parts of her were supposed to sag more than others, because she had almost completely forgotten her human proportions.

She didn't recognize herself. Perhaps she never would.

Claire paused in thought, then proceeded to strip. Once she had kicked her clothing away from her ankles, she stood naked in front of her reflection and took it all in. She had more freckles than before, she noticed, as well as darker skin. Being naked in the sun had taken its toll, even when she was a dinosaur. Still, she was kind of glad it had. Although her freckles were not as colorful as the olive scales that once caressed her body, she felt as though having something to break the evenness of her complexion was desirable. It would be better, as a matter of fact, if she could be as close to her dinosaur self as possible.

She tried bunching up her hair so that it resembled a frill, but it wouldn't stay put. She exhaled quietly, but her eyes met the eyes of her reflection, and she froze with one hand still lifting her hair. The two women, one perceived and one real, did not abandon each other's gaze for a long time. Claire began to shake, and she considered smashing the mirror, but she decided that it wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, she crawled into bed with Owen, wrapping her bare limbs around his body. She tried to flip him onto her stomach, but he was too heavy for her now.

She hoped that he wouldn't feel her tears soaking his chest.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen was surprised to find Claire lying naked beside him. Part of him was thrilled that she had decided to remove her clothing, but at the same time, staring at her nude shape felt like a betrayal to the actual Claire. He didn't have time to ponder this perceived infidelity, because her eyes opened, and she stared at him in a way that made him want to shrink away and disappear forever.

"Owen, I don't feel good."

He gulped.

"I know. There's nothing we can do about it. Not now."

"Rub my snout."

Owen's eye twitched.

"Claire, you don't have-"

"I know, but just try."

He placed his hand on the ridge of her nose uncertainly and ran it up and down her face. She winced. Her eyelashes were getting in the way.

"It's not the same," she sighed, "I thought it would help, but I was wrong."

Owen removed his hand.

"I'm sorry."

"What can we still do?" she whispered.

"Hm?"

"What can we do as humans that we could also do when I was normal?"

Owen gave her a kiss. It should have been good, but it wasn't. Although the softness of her mouth was the same on the inside, her lips did not feel pleasant. He was used to her beak, and pressing his mouth against something so tender made him think that the red part of her face was not lips at all, but rather, a freshly-healed wound where her beak had been cut away. She clearly felt this too, because she pulled away from him and put her fingers over her mouth self-consciously.

"God . . . I didn't think it would be like this," she quavered.

"Me neither."

"But it's ridiculous, right? I mean, we used to do it this way before . . ."

"But that was a long time ago."

"It was."

They sat quietly, not touching each other. Claire broke their shared stillness by reaching for a pen that was lying on the bedside table. She tied it to her hair with great difficulty, as she had lost some of her dexterity through the years. She reached for the pen on Owen's side, and he handed it to her without saying a word. When both pens were secure, Claire shook her head. She found out very quickly that it was not an ideal solution, because unlike horns, pens could not be fixed in place. She quite literally tore them from her scalp, losing two clumps of hair, and threw them to the ground.

"I hate this!" she sobbed.

Owen held her against his chest.

"I know, I know . . ."

"I just want to die. This isn't right, and I- I just-"

She screamed in frustration. She was missing the deeper pitch that surfaced in a moo whenever she lost control.

"I'm never leaving this room! I want to sit here and not be seen and die alone!"

Owen shook his head.

"You know I can't let you do that. Lily is counting on us."

The name was like an antidote to Claire's insanity. Her eyes became focused, and she sat up straight, forgetting her personal grief.

"Lily . . ."

She stood up.

"Lily! We have to go! _Now_! We have to find-"

She looked down at herself.

"No . . . I can't let her see me like this. She'll think . . ."

She shook her head, crying again.

"I have to, though. I have to. Owen, promise me that if Lily hates me, you'll take care of her on your own."

"She won't hate you," he said seriously.

"But if she does, you need to be there for her."

He stood up.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's tell the others that it's time to go."

Claire nodded and reached for the door handle, then gave a surprised jolt.

"Wait. I'm naked. That matters now."

Owen picked up a lonely duffel bag.

"Charlie nabbed a few things. I'm sure they'll fit."

Claire got dressed, forgetting at first which order the clothes were supposed to be put on. When she had it right, Owen handed her the final piece of her costume. She hesitated before taking the beige heels, but despite the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach, she slipped them over her feet and stood up tall.

"For Lily," she whispered.

Owen nodded.

"For Lily."

***TSJWFEW***

Barry and Delta, it seemed, were pushing the limits of the soundproof wall that separated them from the rest of the limo's occupants. It would be rude to interrupt the happy couple, considering Barry had hooked them up with this ride in the first place, but it was getting harder and harder to keep the conversation going without having to pause and hear the rhythmic thumping and dirty words being uttered from the other side of the barrier. They tried to fill the silence as much as possible, but it was an uphill battle.

"So, as I was saying, we have a few options at this point, one of them being to go through with Barry's plan," Owen said too loudly.

"What's his plan?" Charlie asked as soon as he finished his sentence.

"He didn't tell me, but I trust that he can . . . uh . . ."

His pause left room for a deep moan to fill the air. He cleared his throat quickly.

"It's probably a safe plan, because Barry is good at these kinds of things, and he really- really understands- the, um-"

They could just make out the word "baguette". Owen shuddered.

"Well, that's something I'll never be able to unhear."

He knocked on the wall.

"Can you guys keep it down? You're going to scar us for life."

"Sorry!" they chorused.

Owen shook his head.

"Alright, there's a few things we need to remember. One, keep the chitchat to a minimum. Every second that goes by is a wasted opportunity. Lily is out in the wilderness right now, and she needs to be rescued. _Soon_. Second, don't mention that anyone here was a dinosaur-"

"I still _am_!" Foxtrot snapped.

"Shush. They won't be able to tell," Owen replied impatiently, "Third, do whatever Barry says. He's putting his ass on the line to help us. From what I understand, he hasn't spoken to his parents for a while."

"Why not?" Charlie asked, "Did they kick him out?"

Owen shook his head.

"No, but he's sensitive about his privileged upbringing. He just wants to be treated normally, so let's not make a big deal about this."

Blue scoffed.

"Oh, please. How rich can he be?"

It was then that they pulled up to a tall, golden fence, which circled a vast, imposing mansion. The group fell silent as the gates parted. When they passed an ostentation of white peacocks, they exchanged looks of disbelief. The limo pulled up to the front doorway after circling an ornate fountain with bronze statues spouting water in thin arcs. Barry got out of the car with a straight face, unimpressed by their reactions.

"Nobody say a word. We're going in now, so for the love of god, don't stare."

They shuffled up to the front door, which looked something like a drawbridge. When it opened, an old man in a fancy suit bowed before them.

"Welcome, Lord Barrington. Your parents are waiting in the study."

Barry's face tightened as he sensed the group's dumbfounded expressions. He stormed forward and led them up a marble staircase. They passed about fifty rooms before they reached a Victorian-looking library. Barry's parents were standing near the door.

"Barry, honey! How have you been?!" his mother clucked.

"Fine," he replied tersely.

"What have you been up to all these years?" his father boomed.

"Nothing. Can we just skip to the important part? The others are waiting."

His parents peeked over his shoulder. The raptors waved shyly, and Owen gave them a quick nod.

"Oh, are these your friends?" his mother gushed, "They seem nice. Sorry about the mess: we didn't have time to clean up before your visit."

If there _was_ a mess, it was practically invisible. Barry's parents crossed the room, and the guests followed when they beckoned to them. Claire leaned against Owen for support, still too weak to stand on her own two feet.

"For many years, our family has been developing a complex tracking device, capable of locating any person on the globe with stunning accuracy," Barry's father announced, "It all started when Barry got lost in our mansion . . . erm, the one in France. It's much larger."

Owen was done being surprised.

"But how will you track Lily? You don't know what she looks like."

Barry's mother stepped forward.

"Does she have any distinct features?"

Claire lifted her head.

"She's part dinosaur."

Owen's eyes went wide. Barry's parents didn't seem to notice the oddness of her remark.

"That should make it easy. Follow me," his mother said.

She punched an eight-digit code into a control panel on the wall, and one of the bookcases split in half to reveal a secret elevator. It was difficult to fit everyone inside, but they managed. During the descent, the booth grew dark, and the only light came from periodic flashes of blue neon that they passed on their way into the abyss.

"So have you found yourself a girlfriend yet, Barry?" his mother asked casually.

"Maman!"

"I'm just asking . . ." she mumbled.

"I don't want to talk about it," Barry grumbled.

"It's okay, Barry. We'd accept you even if you weren't into women . . ." his father said sincerely.

"What?! No, I'm not- Look, I have a girlfriend, I just don't want you meddling!"

"We're not meddling, Barry," his mother replied, "We just want you to be happy. It's impossible to know how you're doing when you never write to us . . ."

"I'm his fiancée," Delta said tersely.

Barry's mother turned pink with glee.

"Oh, how wonderful! I always knew that Barry would find himself a pretty girl! When's the wedding?"

"You're not invited," Barry muttered.

Owen elbowed him.

"Barry, don't do this. They're helping us . . ."

"Yes, but I don't owe them anything."

"They raised you."

"Shush. We'll discuss this later."

The doors parted, and they entered a vast, dark workshop. In the center, a holographic globe rotated slowly, casting blue and green light across the floor. Barry's parents walked up to it with the rest of the group trailing close behind them.

"You said this girl is part dinosaur, right?" Barry's mother asked.

Claire nodded.

"Part stegoceratops. It's stegosaurus and triceratops-"

"Oh, we don't need to know specifics. As long as we clarify that she contains your genes, we should be able to pinpoint- ah, there we go."

A red dot had appeared in Arkansas. As the globe grew large to specify the location, Claire noticed that the blip was moving along something that looked like a track.

"She's on a train," Owen marveled, "But why would she be interested in hitchhiking?"

There was another beep, and a wall of text appeared in front of the globe. Charlie leapt to the side, unaware that it was not physically present. Owen scanned the page briefly and realized that it was describing a traveling circus.

"Wait . . . does this mean the computer understands us?" he asked.

Barry's father nodded.

"It's very intelligent."

Claire stood up straight, pushing Owen away gently, and moved towards the globe. It was the first time she had attempted to walk without Owen's help.

"We need to go there," she said, pointing at the red dot, "If we catch up to this train, I can find out where Lily is stowed away. We can't use a normal plane this time. By coming here, we unintentionally distanced ourself from her. We need to ride something fast."

"But how will we stop the train?" Owen asked, "I don't see much official information on this circus, but I don't think it's going to change its schedule on our behalf."

Barry's father lifted his chin proudly.

"The solution to both of these problems is simple. This OS isn't the only technology our family has been funding. Over the years, we've been developing a more hands-on approach to search and rescue missions."

He marched across the workshop with a dignified air.

"Can anyone tell me what one might use to rescue a person in distress?" he prompted.

Charlie raised her hand.

"Helicopters?"

"Drones?" Echo suggested.

"Rollerskates?" Foxtrot guessed.

Barry's father shook his head.

"All helpful in their own way, but severely limited. The best way to rescue a person is by using your wits to come up with the most reasonable solution to your problem, which varies from case to case. But how is one to do that in a machine that does not reflect their own design? It's like having a chimp pilot a whale. The solution is simple: our vehicles need hands, feet, heads, and anything else that echoes the human form."

"Are you saying that you built a giant, humanoid robot?" Blue joked.

A series of spotlights flicked on, revealing a giant, humanoid robot. Blue's face fell.

"Oh."

"They told us we were crazy," Barry's father recalled, "They said we were watching too much anime. But we ignored them and built the most complex robot known to man. Humans are designed to help humans, and by improving our form with metal armor and rocket boots, we've created the ultimate vehicle that will save billions of lives . . . starting with your daughter."

Owen blinked and gestured to the robot vaguely.

"Yeah, I don't know what this thing is, exactly, but it looks like it'll work just fine. Does it have a driver, or . . ."

"That's up to you," Barry's mother said, "The machine is controlled by brainwaves, so once you're inside, it will be like you've literally become a giant metal man . . . or woman, since your wife could pilot it too."

Claire reached out and touched the metal foot.

"This will work. When's the soonest we can leave?"

"Right now," Barry's father replied, "Everyone, hop inside. I'll open the back door so you don't have to take off indoors."

Owen frowned in puzzlement.

"Aren't you coming too?"

"No," Barry's mother replied, "We don't want to slow you down."

"But we've never driven a robot before. What if we wreck it?" Owen asked.

"That doesn't matter," she said softly, "We spent twenty six million dollars on this machine so that we could save lives. Even if it only ends up saving one person, it's well worth the price we paid. It doesn't matter if you scuff it up in order to reunite with your daughter, because a single life is more important than all the robots in the world. This is our gift to you."

Claire nodded.

"We'll take it. Thank you."

"It's our pleasure," Barry's father declared, "Now, let's not waste any more time. Lily is counting on you."

The heel of the machine opened, revealing a small elevator. The group once again crammed themselves inside. While the raptors (and Barry) exited to sit passively in the torso area, Owen and Claire made their way to the head. They stepped into the artificial cortex and peered out the front window. The machine suddenly came to life, and they were lifted into the air, suspended by an unknown force. As they moved, so did the robot. When they had achieved a balance of power, they took two massive steps out the secret door, which led into an empty courtyard. They activated the rocket boots, which scorched the lawn. As they hovered above the ground, Claire took a deep breath.

"This is going to work. We're going to save Lily."

Owen took her hand.

"Are you ready?"

"I've always been ready."

He nodded.

"Alright, let's get this thing moving."

They kicked both legs in unison, and the robot shot into the night sky. Claire adjusted their trajectory with a determined frown.

"We're coming, Lily!"

Owen squeezed her hand.

"This is gonna be one hell of a ride."


	91. Love

By the time Tess had written up another contract, Lily was practically oozing enthusiasm. She twitched and fidgeted in her chair, anxious to get her wish.

"What do you think I'll look like as a human, Liam?" she asked excitedly.

"Dunno," he muttered, "But if I were you, I wouldn't waste my wish on _that_."

Lily frowned.

"Liam, I HAVE to. If I'm human, my mama will love me again, and we can be a happy family."

He snuffed.

"Happy families don't come that easily. Changing the way you look won't be enough to fix everything."

Lily growled.

"How would _you_ know? You _hate_ your family."

Liam shook his head.

"That's not true. I just . . . It's complicated, okay?"

Lily sighed.

"Look, Liam, this _has_ to work. I love my parents more than anything in the world, and I owe them this one thing, at least."

"Why?"

"Because I've made their lives miserable," Lily whispered, "I've ruined everything just by existing."

Liam put his paw on her wrist.

"What about that story you told me: the one about the cup? Didn't you say that your mother would love you no matter what?"

Lily bit her lip.

"No. She was lying the whole time."

"Why would she fake it for sixteen years?"

Lily's lip trembled.

"I . . . I don't know. She felt stuck with me, I guess. And she was a dinosaur too, so it's not like she could leave."

Tess placed the contract in front of her.

"Well, whatever the case, becoming human can't hurt. Why don't you sign and be done with it?"

Lily grabbed the quill from its holder and signed her name in the blink of an eye. She handed the paper to Tess and gave a wide smile.

"Done. I'm ready to change now."

Tess quirked a brow.

"Are you sure about that?"

Lily nodded vigorously.

"I am. I'm ready to become human."

Tess chuckled.

"I'll bet you are. Too bad you don't have a wish."

Slowly, Lily's face fell. She gave an uncomfortable laugh.

"You're just kidding around . . . right?"

Tess smirked.

"Not at all. If you had taken the time to read over the contract, you might have noticed that I didn't guarantee a wish this time. Honestly, I didn't think you were stupid enough to overlook that part, but I guess that's what happens when you trust a carny."

Lily shook her head in disbelief.

"No . . ."

"Oh, yes. You're mine for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not. If you try to leave the circus, I'll send someone to find you, because no matter how far you run, I'll _always_ know where you are."

Tears streamed down Lily's face.

"No! Tess, you can't do this!"

"I can. It's perfectly legal."

"But- But I thought we were _friends_!"

Tess sneered.

"Yet another example of how foolish you are. Why would I care about an ugly little dinosaur whose only talent is standing on a ball for five seconds?"

Liam snapped at her angrily.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Tess lifted her hand, and the two of them were pinned to the wall by an unseen force.

"Don't try my patience."

Liam squirmed uncomfortably.

"You can't do this! Lily signed a contract, but I'm free!"

Tess shrugged.

"Well, if I hold you here unlawfully, it's not like anyone will care. The only friend you have in this world will be locked up with you."

Lily whimpered.

"Why are you doing this to us?"

"That's my business!" she snapped, "Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."

She waved her hand, and they were transported to their box car. Lily made a dash for the door, but a heavy lock appeared on the outside. She slammed her fist against the wall and screamed.

"NO!"

As she fell sobbing in the hay, Liam gave her a sad look. He pattered over and curled up beside her, nuzzling her shoulder for comfort.

"This is all my fault . . ." Lily whispered, "I ran away from home, I signed a contract with an evil woman, and worst of all, I dragged you into this mess."

Liam shook his head.

"Lily, you didn't drag me into this. I came willingly. Besides, I'd rather be here with you than out there on my own."

She sniffled noisily.

"You're just trying to make me feel better."

Liam poked her with his nose.

"Don't lie to yourself. You know, I think you assume that people don't like you because you're afraid of what might happen if it's true. You tell yourself that you're ugly so it will matter more when someone says you're pretty. But it shouldn't matter in the first place, because if you can't see what makes you special, then you're hopeless."

Lily sniffed.

"That sounded like a compliment."

"It was. I'm your friend, Lily. I'd do anything for you."

"Can you wish us out of here?"

Liam squeaked.

"Well, not really, because if I use my wish, I'm in even more trouble."

Lily nodded and placed her chin on her hands.

"I understand. If there's a way to get you out of here, I'll do whatever I can to make that happen."

"I don't want to leave without you."

Lily exhaled.

"You may not have a choice."

They pondered the gravity of their situation. For a moment, it seemed like they'd go the entire night without exchanging another word, but just when Lily was about to break the silence, Liam lifted his head.

"I lied."

"About what?"

"About you being ugly. I didn't want to say anything nice because . . . because it would be weird."

Lily frowned.

"Why?"

"Well, I'm a raptor and you're . . . _different_ . . . I mean, I'm not saying you're pretty or anything, but for a non-raptor, you don't look half bad."

Lily smiled weakly.

"And for a raptor, you look okay too."

There was a pause.

"I lied again," Liam said suddenly, "When I said that I wasn't saying you were pretty, I was actually kind of . . . doing that."

Lily's eyes went wide.

"Are you saying I'm pretty?"

Liam swerved his head noncommittally.

"Maybe . . ."

"It sure sounds like that's what you're saying . . ."

"Well, my sentence was structured in a way that-"

He gagged as she gave him a big hug.

"I can't tell you how much that means to me," she whispered.

Liam nodded.

"Okay, okay. Can you put me down now?"

"No," she hummed happily.

As she rocked back and forth with Liam in her arms, he went limp. Deciding that their embrace had lasted long enough, she put him down gently in the hay and ruffled his feathers.

"I'm sorry you're trapped here with me, but if there's one person I could bear spending the rest of my life with, it's you."

Liam smiled.

"Same goes for me. I guess if we're gonna be forced to work for the circus, we can make the most of it. Maybe we can even start a duo act."

"Like what?" Lily laughed.

"Like acrobatics!" he cheered, jumping on her back, "We'll be like those guys who balance on each other . . . only you should probably be on the bottom most of the time."

Lily rolled her eyes and shook him off. He landed near her backpack, and gave a surprised yelp when he felt something poking his posterior. He pulled Lily's birthday present out from underneath the hay, and all at once, her smile disappeared.

"Oh . . ."

Liam gulped and held it out for her to take.

"It's getting late, which means it's almost tomorrow. I don't think anyone would blame you if you opened it now."

Lily sighed.

"I don't know if I want to."

Liam flipped the package over and examined the wrapping paper.

"It looks small . . ."

"It's probably a form to disown me," Lily mumbled.

Liam shook the package and pursed his lips.

"I don't think so. There's something making noise inside."

Lily gave the present a side-glance. Liam raised his eyebrow and held it out for her. She sighed in defeat and grabbed her gift, making her way to the corner of the room. When she had torn off the paper, she took a deep breath and opened the box. She was surprised to see a small, gold necklace with a bar in the center. She picked it up delicately and held it in front of her snout.

"It's beautiful . . ."

Liam leaned on her for support as he gawked at the piece of jewelry.

"Wow! That looks like real gold! Are you _sure_ your mom hates you?"

Lily frowned in confusion and picked up the box. There was a note inside. She unfolded it and started to read.

 _Dear Lily,_

 _It's hard to believe that you're already sixteen years old! I still remember the way you looked at me when you first broke through your eggshell. You reached out blindly, hoping that someone would be there for you, and that's when I knew that my life had truly begun. You've grown so much since then, but in a way, I'll always see you as that shy little hatchling that couldn't see three feet in front of her snout, but somehow knew her mother simply by touching her. And you HAVE touched me, Lily. You've made me smile and laugh and cry, and through the years, you've been the best daughter I could have ever hoped for. I love you more than anyone else in the world (and yes, that includes your father). You've been the best part of my life- well, actually, you ARE my life- and I wouldn't have it any other way. I remember when your Aunt Karen told me how wonderful children were, and I thought she was crazy. God, I was wrong. I didn't really start living until you were born, because I used to think that life was something you had to endure on your own, but sharing it with other people is the best feeling in the world._

 _I guess I'm getting off track. I swear to god, I had this whole letter planned out, but when I realized how much I had to say about how perfect you are, I went off script. But that's the way it SHOULD be, Lily. Life isn't something you can plan out, because as much as you think you have everything under control, there will always be surprises. That's a good thing, though. Often, you'll find that unexpected events are the ones most worth holding onto, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. Trust me, I know a lot about strange and random occurrences._

 _That brings me to my last point. I haven't been entirely honest with you, Lily. I think every parent has a secret or two, but this is something you deserve to know. Sometime after your birthday, I want us to go for a walk, just you and me (Dad can stay at home and practice his knitting). There are so many things I want to tell you, and I can't promise to be one hundred percent coherent, but by the end of the day, you'll know everything I kept from you. I guess a part of me always knew that I couldn't shield you forever, because even though you'll always be my baby girl, you're all grown up now, and it's time for you to decide who you really are. It's hard to figure out that kind of thing, I know. Once upon a time, when I was young (not as young as you, but in my thirties, if you can imagine that!), I thought that this necklace was the be-all end-all. For reasons I'll explain to you in person, I carried it around with me everywhere I went, afraid of what would happen if I removed it. But, speaking of unexpected surprises, I lost it one day, and although what happened afterwards seemed like something I'd look back on with regret, it ended up being the most important adventure of my life. It was the first step of a journey that led me to you, and for that reason, I'd do it a million times over if I had to. What happened to me is nothing to be ashamed of. It took me far too long to realize that. My only wish is that you have less trouble deciding who you are. It's not a simple question, I know, but I promise that the answer is well worth the effort. There's just one thing I want you to know. No matter who or what you think you are, you will always be my daughter, and I will always love you. Happy birthday, my beautiful Lily!_

 _Love, Mom_

Lily was crying, but not because she was sad. Here in her very hands was proof that her mother loved her, and all at once every scrap of doubt was purged from her mind. She was not ugly or fat or disgusting, at least not to her mother. Whatever she had written in her diary, that pain was long behind her, and it had been replaced by an unconditional love for her one and only daughter. Lily felt her heart glowing with pride and relief, but it faded away when she realized what she had done.

"I'm so stupid, Liam," she whispered, "My mother loved me all along, and I ran away without even asking if anything in her diary was true. Now I'm never going to see her again. I'll never be able to tell her how much I love her . . ."

She started shaking.

"What have I done? We're stuck here forever, and- and we're going to be _miserable_! Why did I ever leave home? I should have known that I'd ruin everything by running away! I just want to be back in my room with my toys and my blankets and my drawings! I want to drink warm milk and play monopoly and hear my mom's voice! I miss her! I miss her more than I've ever missed anyone in my whole entire life!"

Lily fell silent when she saw Liam trembling. She reached out and poked him gently.

"Liam?"

He sniffled.

"Lily, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

He burst into tears.

"I MISS MY MOMMY TOO!"

They wailed miserably, leaning on each other for support as tears shot from their eyes. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, the train came to a halt.

"What was that?" Lily asked.

Liam scurried over to the tiny, barred window. He scratched at the wall until Lily lifted him up so he could see. When he peeked out at the front of the train, his jaw dropped.

"Woah . . ."

"What?" Lily asked, struggling to keep him balanced on her shoulders.

Liam looked down at her with a big smile.

"You aren't going to believe this . . ."


	92. A Trade

Tesseract Goop had been expecting Claire's arrival for quite some time, but she was not prepared for the grandeur of her entrance. The metal humanoid she was driving started by tailing the train from the sky, then landed near the caboose and ran alongside it until it was ahead of the locomotive. When the machine's hand blocked the track ahead, the already obvious intentions of its drivers was confirmed without a doubt. Tesseract Goop could see Claire and her husband through the window located on the "head" of the machine. They shut down their metal man and exited through the ear, lowering themselves to the shoulder. The arm led to the front part of the train where Tesseract Goop was waiting, but there was a massive drop on either side. The robot was standing in a body of water, in fact, since the train had been in the process of crossing a bridge that ran between two mountains. For this reason, Claire had to cross the manufactured limb carefully, followed by a group of humans (most of them female). Tesseract Goop stepped down onto the track and smiled warmly.

"Welcome! What can I do for you?"

One of the men gave her a look of disbelief.

"She doesn't seem surprised by the giant robot."

Claire hobbled up to her frantically, trying not to get her heels caught in the gaps between the bridge's planks.

"I'm sorry for forcing you to stop, but I have reason to believe that my daughter is on this train."

Tesseract Goop lifted her eyebrows.

"Oh, you mean Lily!" she chirped as though it was a surprise.

"You've seen her?" Claire asked with a trace of worry.

"Of course. She's working for me."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"Well, she can't stay. We need her to come home with us."

Tesseract Goop clicked her tongue and leaned against the train's body.

"That's unfortunate. She just signed a contract that binds her to my circus for life. I can't let her go."

Claire gulped.

"You . . . No, that can't be right. She's only fifteen. She can't make that kind of decision."

Tesseract Goop shrugged and examined her nails.

"Sorry, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. She signed herself over to me, and now I own her. If you want to discuss the legalities of her situation, why don't you step inside my office?"

Claire seemed unhappy with this arrangement (to put it mildly), but she followed the circus woman into the train. The others formed a line behind her, noticeably on edge.

"Your daughter exchanged her freedom for a wish, and that can't be undone," Lily's captor said as she made her way to her private box car, "You're no stranger to magic, I presume, but in case you're unfamiliar with the details surrounding my _personal_ brand, here's a quick run-down: I can only cast complicated spells in exchange for some form of payment, specifically a segment of some sentient spirit. Other than that, I can pull off a few minor tricks, but the kind of wish that Lily asked for can only be undone with another spell of equal magnitude. That means she'd have to sign another contract. I reserve the right to accept or decline one such request, but it's unlikely that she has anything more to offer me."

Claire felt sick to her stomach.

"Look, we'll pay you anything you want, but please let our daughter go."

"I'm not interested in money. I currently own one of the rarest animals alive. If I keep her, I'll be rich _and_ famous."

Claire's lip quivered.

"Please. She's my daughter. I need her."

"You should have thought of that before you scared her away."

Claire closed her eyes, sending two tears racing down her cheeks.

"What will it take to set her free?"

"Nothing _you_ can offer me, I assure you," Tesseract Goop scoffed, "Unless you can produce a stegoceratops from thin air, I won't let her go."

Claire fell silent. She looked down at her hands, then took a deep breath.

"Take me instead."

Owen grabbed her arm.

"Claire, no!"

She pushed him away gently.

"I have to, Owen."

"I won't let you. We can hire lawyers-"

Claire shook her head.

"I have to pay for my mistake."

He shook his head firmly.

"This isn't your fault."

Claire touched his cheek and took a trembling breath.

"Owen, our baby girl is in trouble. This is the only way to make sure she's safe."

Tesseract Goop rubbed her chin.

"So you're saying that you'd change into a stegoceratops to free Lily? That seems like a fair trade. Why don't I get started on the contract . . ."

Claire sat down weakly as she pulled out a scroll. Owen put his hand on her shoulder and knelt beside her.

"Claire, don't do this. We'll find another way."

She stared ahead vacantly.

"Lily is more important than me. I won't let her stay here for one more minute. Bring her home. Make sure she's safe."

Owen shook his head.

"The forcefield is down, Claire."

Tesseract Goop raised her eyebrows.

"I might be able to do something about that too, if you hand over your ability to speak."

Claire nodded, tears dropping into her lap. Owen glared at the circus master with unbridled hatred.

"This isn't right."

She flicked her head to the side dismissively.

"A lot of things aren't right in this world. Life's not fair. You have to take what you can get and pray that it's enough to keep you going."

She slapped the contract down in front of Claire.

"There you go. You'll notice that the conditions are as follows: you will renounce your voice and humanity in exchange for Lily's freedom and safety. Oh, and you're never allowed to see her again."

Claire was weeping. Owen couldn't bear to see her so miserable. He took a step towards the villainous woman, but she lifted her finger.

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't try anything. I still own your daughter, remember?"

Owen whipped around furiously and stood in the corner of the room, barely containing his anger. Claire reached out weakly and took the quill in her trembling hand.

"That's it . . ." Tesseract Goop cooed, "Set your daughter free. She deserves it, after everything you've done to her. Do you know _why_ she sold me her soul? She wanted to make you happy. She thought that if you were human, all of your problems would just disappear. I wonder where she got _that_ idea . . ."

Owen cringed as Claire pressed the tip of the quill against the page. She began to draw the graceful curve of a capital C, then a tall loop, and-

"Stop!" Charlie cried, "I can't take this anymore! Claire, let me sign the contract instead. I'll change into a raptor, and Lily can stay with you. I'm her sister. She needs my help."

Tesseract Goop sneered.

"Hush! I don't need a raptor!"

"What about two raptors?" Echo offered, stepping forward, "I'd gladly give up my freedom for Claire."

"Me too!" Foxtrot asserted, "She's the best Alpha I've ever had."

Delta gave Barry a kiss on the cheek, then let go of his hand with regret.

"Take me as well. Four raptors is more than enough. Send Lily home."

Tesseract Goop gnashed her teeth.

"No . . . It has to be _her_."

Foxtrot puffed out her chest.

"Says who? Why don't you change us _all_ into stegoceratopses if that's so important?"

"Yeah, why not?" Charlie agreed.

Tesseract Goop slammed her fist on the table, making everyone jump.

"NO! IT HAS TO BE CLAIRE! IT HAS TO BE THE QUEEN!"

Owen's eyes went wide.

" _Queen_? How did you-"

Suddenly, Tesseract Goop grabbed a black cane from the corner of the room and pointed it at him. A beam of magic shot out of its tip, but Charlie jumped in front of Owen before it could reach him. She landed on the carpet as a raptor, holding her claws in front of her face with tears in her eyes.

"No . . ."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Echo snarled.

She made a lunge for the evil woman, but was changed too. Delta tried to escape, but she was struck with a third beam of light. She fell into Barry's arms, sobbing in shame when she saw her old body. He held her close, but she refused to look at him.

Tesseract Goop brandished her cane like a sword.

"And you . . ." she snarled, pointing it at Blue.

"Hey, I don't care about the girl, okay?" she admitted, "All I want is for things to go back to the way they were."

Tesseract Goop changed her too.

"That should help."

The raptors writhed around in agony, all displeased with their transformations, though by all accounts, they should have been happy to return to their original forms. Even Foxtrot, it seemed, was upset.

"She made me human! She made me human!"

Of course, her shape had not been altered, but Claire pitied her anyway.

"Change them back!" she pleaded, "And let Lily go. If I'm the one you want, take me, but don't make them suffer any longer."

Tesseract Goop was about to accept her offer, it seemed, but in a fit of rage, Blue pounced upon her. With a wave of her wand, she sent them flying out the back door. They landed behind the train, all tangled up in a confused pile. There was a loud creaking sound, and the robot's hand was lifted off the track by magic. Once the train had cleared the obstacle, it fell back down.

"NO! LILY!" Claire screamed.

She dashed into the armored machine while the raptors pursued the train on foot, sprinting down the track as fast as they could. Owen joined his wife, and Barry struggled to keep up with the raptor who had once been his fiancée. Together, they pursued the locomotive, driven by the fact that if it escaped them, Lily would be lost forever.


	93. The Last Dance

Lily grunted in frustration as she tried to keep Liam balanced on her shoulders.

"What's going on? Why are we moving so fast?" she cried.

Liam craned his neck.

"I think someone's chasing us . . . OH MY GOD!"

"What?"

"It's a bunch of raptors!"

"What do they look like?"

"Like raptors."

"Could you be more specific?"

"I dunno. It's hard to tell them apart. It's dark out."

He flinched.

"Okay, it's even darker now. We're in a tunnel."

Lily fell backwards suddenly, taking Liam with her.

"Ow!"

She rubbed her head.

"Liam, you said there were humans near the front of the train a few minutes ago. What did they look like?"

"Like humans."

"COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC?"

He shrugged.

"I dunno. One of them had sandy hair and a beard. He was wearing a sweater . . ."

"That sounds like my dad!" Lily gasped, "Was he with someone else?"

"He was with a lot of people."

"Was my mother there?"

"I dunno. What does she look like?"

"She's green with a red-"

Lily caught herself.

"I mean . . . I don't know. She's human now. I don't know what she looks like."

Liam gave her a questioning look as she solemnly dragged herself to the corner of the room.

"Nevermind. That probably wasn't my dad. My parents wouldn't be driving a giant robot."

Liam twisted his mouth.

"Are you sure?"

Lily nodded.

"They barely even use the truck. Whoever is after us, it's not my family."

Without warning, a raptor head appeared in the window.

"Lily?"

She screamed and fell backwards.

"Wait! Wait! Don't be afraid!" the raptor screeched, "It's me. It's Charlie."

Lily's face lit up.

"Charlie! What are you doing on the train?"

"Trying not to get pummeled by the roof," she sassed, "The others are fighting circus people. I'm going to break you out while we still have a chance."

She began to claw at the window, tearing away splinters of wood. Liam helped from his side, but his claws were noticeably duller.

"How did you find me?" Lily asked.

"We had some help from Barry," she explained as she hacked into the window, "When you disappeared, Claire went crazy. We've been looking for you all this time."

Lily grinned.

"Mama's here? Where is she?"

"In the giant robot."

Lily squealed with delight.

"Oh my god! This is a rescue! She loves me! She loves me! She loves me!"

Liam pouted.

"Lucky you. You have someone who cares about your safety."

Charlie stopped clawing at the window to look at him. It seemed as though she had finally noticed the other raptor.

"Who's this?"

"My boyfriend," Lily stated.

Liam's eyes went wide.

"What-"

"We'll talk later," Lily said tersely.

Charlie grabbed one of the window's bars in her mouth and tore it out of its socket. She wrestled with the other one, but they were all blinded by the moon's pale fire.

"We're out in the open," Charlie announced, "It looks like your parents have caught up."

Lily could hear the sloshing footsteps of the robot. It was thundering through water, which meant that they were on another bridge. Charlie pulled out the second bar and reached for Liam's paw.

"Take my hand, Feathers. You're small enough to fit through."

"Feathers?" Liam echoed.

Lily rolled her eyes and boosted him up to the window. When he was out, she took a few steps back and gave Charlie a nod.

"Hang on. I got this."

She reared up on her hind legs and trumpeted valiantly. With a ferocious scowl, she charged forward-

-and banged her head against the wall. She rubbed her frill woozily, groaning in pain.

"I really thought that would work."

Charlie blinked.

"You know, you really are your father's daughter."

Lily snorted.

"Alright, enough fooling around. We need to make this hole big enough for me."

Charlie nodded.

"I'll call your parents."

Her face disappeared from view.

"CRAW! CRAW! CRAW!"

The noise made Lily jump. Somehow, a part of her was unsettled by raptors noises.

"They heard us!" Charlie trilled, "They're coming! They're-"

She gasped.

"Oh my god . . ."

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"I- I don't know!" Charlie whimpered, "It looks like- but it's- OH NO!"

Lily tossed her head in agitation.

"What? WHAT?"

Suddenly, something massive passed the window. Lily heard a terrible roar, then the sound of metal cracking under stress. Silhouetted against the full moon, she could make out the shape of the robot and an unidentified horned monster. The titans were locked together in combat, but it did not last long. The machine was thrown against the bridge, which collapsed in a massive explosion, taking the train with it.

***TSJWFEW***

Owen coughed up water when he awoke. The stars and clouds were doubling in his vision, and his ears were ringing. When the sound faded, it was replaced by distant crackling. Fire. There was fire nearby. He let his head drop to the side. Part of the train was lying beside him. Small tongues of fire danced across the surface. He remembered that the train had fallen from the bridge. It was like a heavy snake, or maybe a rope. And then what? It fell with the robot, and he was inside of the robot, and Lily was inside the train . . .

He coughed and sat up, his hands slipping in the shallow water. Whatever had attacked him caused significant damage to the bridge, the robot, and the train. Parts of said objects were scattered as far as he could see, all the way on the other side of the lake. To make matters worse, he could feel his head bleeding. He was sure that this was the case because the fluid soaking his hair was warm. If he was injured, there was a good chance that the others were too. He could only hope that they were no worse off than him.

"Claire? . . ." he rasped, "Lily? . . ."

He stumbled as he tried to stand upright, then grabbed his shoulder in pain.

"CLAIRE? ANYONE?"

"I'm here!" a weak voice chirped from behind a fallen box car.

Owen sloshed through the icy water until he had circled the nearest wreckage completely. There was oil in the water, and it was soaking his pants. If the fire were to reach him, he was in big trouble. But there was a more pressing issue. Foxtrot was pinned between two heaps of metal.

"Fox!"

She looked up at him with frightened eyes.

"Owen, I don't think I can get out."

He fell to his knees and began to dig her out of the muck. When he lifted her from the putrid water, his heart dropped. There was a piece of shrapnel stuck in her belly, and the wound was bleeding profusely.

"Fox . . ."

"I think it came from the explosion. Something is broken inside of me-"

She coughed up blood.

"I'm sorry, Owen."

He held her against his chest.

"Don't apologize, Fox. This wasn't your fault."

She sniffled.

"I just wanted to find Lily. Claire was so nice to me, and now she's made a pair of slippers for nothing."

"She made them because she loves you . . ."

"But I'm going to die."

Owen gulped and stroked her hair.

"Don't say that. We'll get you out of here. I've seen people recover from worse."

Foxtrot shook her head.

"I'm done for. Leave me here and find Lily. Make sure she isn't dying too."

Owen's heart was racing.

"No . . . No, don't give up on me, Fox. The others are counting on you."

"They'll understand," she whispered, "I think we always knew that we wouldn't die together. But hardly anyone does. In a way, I'm glad they aren't here, because I'd rather have them remember what it was like when I was living than be sad about my death."

She closed her eyes and shuddered.

"You can leave too."

Owen took a deep breath.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She pressed her forehead against his chest.

"I know you want to be here for me, but it may take a while. Lily needs you more than I do."

Owen did not move. He sat stroking her hair as her breaths grew shallow. She almost seemed to be sleeping at one point, but she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder, smiling faintly.

"I don't believe it . . ."

"What?" Owen asked.

"I've changed back. I'm a raptor again."

He gave her a sad smile.

"You know, you never told me what you look like, Foxtrot."

Her smile grew.

"I'm yellow," she began, "Indian yellow, like painted beads. I have stripes like a tiger. They're red and long. My belly is a little bit pale, and my eyes are emerald green. I can see them when I look at myself in the mirror. I'm sleek and thin, but my biggest claws aren't all that sharp. I've always been ashamed of that. But I like everything else about my body. I like the way my scales shine and I like the feeling of my tail. I think that's not too bad, for a raptor."

Owen nodded.

"I can kind of see that."

Foxtrot closed her eyes and smiled.

"Good. That's all I've ever wanted: someone to see what I see . . . feel what I feel . . . and now I'm happy. I'm happy because you've seen it too, which makes it real . . . and that's all I need."

She went limp after this, but Owen refused to believe that she'd died. Even as he laid her body in the shallow lake, he couldn't bring himself to admit that this corpse had once been Foxtrot. In a way, it hadn't, because although no one knew it, she was a raptor all along. She had _always_ been that Indian yellow creature with crimson stripes, and Owen would never forget it as long as he lived.

He owed her that much, at least.


	94. Together

Echo lifted her head when Owen emerged from behind a pillar of smoke. She had been licking a wound on her thigh, but put the activity on hold to acknowledge his presence.

"Owen!"

"Echo. Where are the others?"

"Delta ran into the woods because she's insecure about her body. Barry followed her. I haven't seen anyone else. You?"

Owen gulped.

"I . . . Foxtrot didn't make it."

Echo put her paw over her mouth.

"No . . ."

"We have to find the survivors. Come with me."

Echo's throat began to wobble.

"I don't know if I can. My foot is hurt real bad."

Owen waded through the mucky water and picked her up. She held onto his neck uncertainly.

"I'll get you somewhere safe," he said, "Don't move until I come back with the others."

He carried her to the edge of the water with great difficulty. When he'd placed her on the beach, he tore off the bottom of his pantleg and wrapped it around her bleeding ankle.

"Stay here."

"I don't have much of a choice."

Owen gave her a sad smile as he rubbed the back of her head.

"Good girl. I'll be back for you."

She relaxed her neck muscles, closing her eyes peacefully as she laid her head on the rocky ground. He gave her a final pat, then jogged through the wreckage once more. After searching the debris, he found no one near the train, but noticed movement by a chunk of the robot. He went to investigate, and hearing a fearful chirp, changed direction and lifted part of the robot's right hand. A young raptor was cowering in the shadows. He shrunk away fearfully as Owen gave him a confused stare.

"You look familiar."

"Are you Lily's father?" the raptor whispered.

"I am, and I think I know who you are. Lily ran away from kindergarten once. You brought her back. Your name is Liam, right?"

He nodded.

"Lily's not here. I started looking for her, but the ringmaster walked by . . ."

Owen's eyes went wide.

"We have to find Lily before _she_ does. Are you coming out?"

Liam darted into the moonlight and stood beside Owen.

"Can you protect me from the circus staff?"

Owen let the robotic hand drop.

"Kid, you're a raptor. I'm just a human."

Liam hopped up on a pile of metal and began to dig. He resurfaced with a flare gun.

"You can use this thing to shoot people, right?"

Owen took it from his mouth and aimed it at a tangle of shrapnel. He fired, and the pile burst into flames. Liam's jaw dropped.

"Looks like it," Owen said simply.

***TSJWFEW***

Lily could see something gold. It was like a filament of light dancing in her field of vision. She thought she was hallucinating, but when her eyes began to focus, she noticed that her mother's necklace was dangling from one of her horns. She sat up, and water dripped down from half of her face. It wasn't long before she realized that she was all alone.

"Hello?" she whispered.

There was no reply. Somehow, she was still inside the box car, but a good chunk of it was missing. Splintered wood and bent metal crossed the sky above her, and she remarked that her sleeping quarters had essentially become a bowl-like structure. It was lucky that she hadn't drowned in the water that filled it. Downright miraculous, even.

Blowing away a white feather that was gliding across the water, Lily looked up at the stars to navigate. The necklace slid down her inclined horn and hit her in the eye. She blinked it away, snorting in surprise. Wherever she was, it wouldn't be wise to stay put for too long. Not knowing exactly what to do, she climbed out of her prison and waded through the calm water that stretched out before her. The ripples spreading out from around her body made the moon's reflection waver. She slowed down and stared at the image, then looked up at the real object. Although she felt lonely and helpless, deep down, there was a calmness in her heart. She lifted her head and let out a long, high-pitched moo, like a lone wolf howling in the mountains. To her surprise, she received a reply. It did not sound like a natural moo. It was almost as if someone was trying to use a voice they no longer had. Lily blinked in confusion, then mooed again. The reply came once more, and a scrawny woman pushed out of the forest. When she saw Lily, her eyes went wide, and she dove into the water, nearly tripping several times as she struggled to brave the lake.

"LILY!"

She recognized the voice. It was her mother. At first, she was so shocked that she couldn't move. Then, without expecting to, she ran up to meet her.

"MAMA!"

The two of them crossed the lake, calling out to each other along the way. It was less difficult for Lily to move, because the water only went up to her knees, whereas her mother was buried from the waist down. Eventually, though, the gap between them shrunk, and Claire practically bounded through the water until she was able to collapse against her daughter's shoulder.

"Lily . . . Lily . . ." she sobbed.

"Ma."

"Lily . . . Oh my god . . ."

Claire would not let go of her daughter. She feared that if they broke contact for even one second, she'd lose her again. But Lily did not want to leave. She rubbed her snout against her mother's back, crying softly.

"I'm sorry, Ma. I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have run away . . ."

Claire shook her head.

"No, baby, no. It was my fault. If I had just told you the truth-"

She suddenly remembered what she was. She pulled away from Lily and glowered at her own hands in shame.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

Lily bit her lip.

"Mama, don't be sad . . ."

"No, it's not right," Claire whispered, "I never thought I'd have to be this way again. It's as if everything I liked about myself is slowly fading away. I don't want to be this person anymore. I want to be your mother."

Lily gave her a hug.

"Mama, it's okay. I know you look different, but you're still the same dinosaur that raised me. Nothing will ever make that untrue. I love you."

Claire closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in Lily's shoulder.

"I love you, too. I love you more than anything in the world. I wish I had never given you reason to doubt that."

Lily gulped.

"But I know the truth now. I read your letter-"

She winced.

"Oh, no! There's no way it could have survived the crash . . ."

Claire kissed her cheek.

"Don't worry. I remember what I wrote. I could never forget the things I love about you . . . Plus I have an extra copy at home. Your father tends to accidentally destroy things."

They both laughed. As Lily shook, the necklace slid down her horn and hit Claire's face. She removed it tenderly and undid the clasp.

"Lily, I know I've already said it a thousand times, but I really do love you. You will always be my perfect baby girl, and I never want you to doubt that fact. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I will always be proud of you, and we will always be a family."

She clipped the necklace around Lily's wrist.

"Happy birthday."

Lily cocked her head.

"It's not my birthday yet . . ."

Claire shrugged.

"I don't know how long I was unconscious for. I'm guessing midnight is long gone. I'm sorry your birthday was so . . . whatever _this_ is . . ."

Lily shook her head.

"No, Ma. It's fine. I found out that we'll be a family no matter what, so there must be some value in _that_ . . ."

Claire smiled.

"I'll make it up to you. When we get home, I'll buy you an extra big cake."

Lily laughed.

"That's not important to me. I have everything I need right here. I'm sorry I wished for you to change, though. I know we're still a family, but the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy."

Claire stroked her snout.

"It's okay, Lily. I can learn to live this way."

She looked down with remorse.

"But we were so perfect before, and I was too stupid to realize it."

Claire kissed her forehead.

"You're not stupid. What's done is done."

"I wish you were happy."

"I'm always happy when I'm with you."

"Then I wish you were a stegoceratops again."

The water around Claire began to glow. She stepped backwards in fear, landing in the moon's reflection. Jets of water began to spiral around her, concealing her from view. Lily gasped.

"Mama!"

When the water fell away, Claire was a stegoceratops. She patted herself down, spun around to get a better look at her tail, then grinned and scooped up Lily in a hug.

"You did it! I'm me again!"

Lily frowned in confusion.

"But that's impossible! Tess told me that I wasn't allowed to have another wish."

Claire beamed.

"Well, she doesn't have the power to take away your birthday wish, does she?"

They laughed in unison, relieved and filled with new life. Together, they swam back to shore, shaking the water off before trotting into the forest. The sound of their footsteps caught the attention of Charlie, who leapt out from behind a nearby bush and hugged both of them at once.

"You're alive! And Claire, you're a dinosaur!"

"I sure am."

Charlie purred happily.

"Everything is back to normal! . . . Oh. I guess I'm a raptor."

As she began to limp away with her head held low, Claire pulled her back with one arm.

"Where are you going?"

Charlie blinked.

"Well, I'm not human anymore . . ."

Claire stood up and shook her tail.

"Does it look like we care?"

They all shared a hug, but it was short-lived. A malevolent cackle made their hearts drop simultaneously.

"So that's how it is, huh? You're all a happy family."

Claire gave a deep rumble.

"Blue . . ."

The raptor stalked out of the forest, her claws tapping the ground as she strutted towards them. Her saurian shape suited her well. The hatred in her eyes was practically burning Claire.

"I'll make this easy. Charlie, come with me. We're going to find Owen. The hybrids aren't invited."

Charlie shook her head.

"No, Blue. We're going to find him together. That includes Claire and Lily."

She smirked.

"We don't need them. As a matter of fact, they interfere with our plan. I don't seem to recall _cows_ being members of the original squad . . ."

Charlie hissed.

"We don't _need_ a squad. We're a family now."

Blue laughed.

"Isn't that sweet . . . Wait, no it's not; it's repulsive, because you're letting yourself be governed by the lesser species!"

Charlie growled.

"Shut up, Blue. Even if it was possible to go back to the way things were, I wouldn't want to. I don't _like_ being part of a pack. When you're at the bottom, you're always trying to appease the higher-ups because they have the power to kick you out. A family wouldn't do that. No matter how many mistakes you make, they'll always be there for you. Together, we're stronger than you'll ever be."

Charlie stood protectively in front of Claire. A flicker of doubt crossed Blue's face, but it evolved into an even deeper sneer.

"You've always been weak, Charlie. But I don't need you. No matter what you think, Owen is not your father, and given the choice, he'll choose a Beta over a wife."

"You're wrong," Charlie snarled, "All this time, you've been lying to us. You said that we'd be able to pick up where we left off, but now we have something better. You can choose to be a part of it, or you can choose to be alone."

Blue growled and started to advance, but Claire gave a loud snort and stepped in front of Charlie.

"Don't even think about it, Blue. This isn't the time to fight. You're outnumbered. Back off."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?"

"Because if you touch either of my daughters, I'll make you wish you hadn't."

Blue scoffed.

"You're threatening _me_?"

Claire pawed at the ground like a bull. Blue chuckled in amusement.

"I find it funny that you're all so willing to protect each other. Did it never occur to you that you might end up dying for another person?"

"That's the idea," Charlie declared nobly.

Blue shrugged.

"Fine. Once I've dealt with this hunk of lard, I'll rip out your treacherous heart."

Claire blocked Charlie from view.

"You won't get that far."

Blue sneered, then made a dash for her exposed neck. Claire whacked her with one horn, sending her flying. She fell on her side, whining pathetically, then curled her foot against her belly like a wounded bird. Claire's face softened, and she moved forward to help the seemingly injured raptor. As she drew near, her whimpering dissolved into cackling. Claire was confused at first, but when she saw Blue stretching out her leg, she knew that she'd been tricked. It was too late. Blue gave a piercing shriek and sunk her teeth into Claire's throat.


	95. Clone Swede Clone

Owen was not happy with the arrangement Liam had forced upon him. The raptor was currently sitting on his shoulders, determined to get a free ride out of his new protector. He would start bouncing up and down chaotically whenever he thought he saw Lily. Six times, he pointed at a vaguely stegoceratops-shaped hunk of metal. Once, he pointed at a chair.

"Well, it's dark out," he said defensively, "How am I supposed to tell the difference between Lily and furniture?"

"Aren't raptors supposed to have night vision?" Owen sassed.

Liam sighed dramatically.

"Okay, fine. Cards on the table: I _might_ be part human."

"Both of your parents are human. That's a fact."

"Same goes for Lily. But she's still kind of a dinosaur."

"What's your point?"

"I'm a raptor. A _good_ raptor."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Alright, but you should know that Claire is actually a dinosaur."

"Didn't she change?"

"Yes, but on the inside, she's still a stegoceratops. I think she always was . . ."

Without warning, Liam leaned forward and pointed excitedly.

"THERE! THERE SHE IS! Oh, wait. It's just a human."

Owen's face lit up.

"That human is Claire!"

He ran towards her. When she saw him coming, she smiled.

"Owen! You're okay!"

He wrapped his arms around her, letting his face become tangled in her hair.

"I'm fine. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"I'm great. Who's the raptor?"

"It's Liam."

"Can we trust him?"

Owen's lower lip twitched.

"Um . . . yeah. He's the one who saved Lily from a snake way back when. Don't you remember that?"

She hesitated before answering.

"Um . . . Yeah."

Owen nodded.

"Alright. Have you seen Lily?"

"No. I think I know where to look for her, though. Follow me."

Owen did as he was told, but it wasn't long before he started to wonder where Claire was taking him. As a matter of fact, he was a little wary of her "intuition". He wasn't sure he trusted her vague sense that Lily was nearby. Hell, he wasn't sure he trusted anything she said right now. She wasn't acting suspicious, per se, but there was something unusual about her demeanor. He examined her gait with a furrowed brow, twisting his mouth uncertainly.

"Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we going this way?"

"To find Lily."

"Are you sure she's around here?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

Owen gave Liam a side glance. He didn't seem to notice anything odd.

"You know, there's something different about you," Owen ventured.

"Yeah. I'm human now," Claire joked.

Owen frowned.

"Not that."

Claire shrugged without looking back at him.

"Well, I have no idea what it is."

Owen lifted his eyebrows casually.

"Okay then. We'd better hurry up. Today is Lily's birthday, after all. I'm sure she won't want us to miss it. Eighteen is a big milestone."

Owen clamped his hand around Liam's mouth before he could interject.

"You're right," Claire said.

Owen stopped walking.

"Actually, I'm not," he said flatly, "Lily isn't turning eighteen."

Claire gulped and turned around slowly.

"I . . . Yeah, I didn't hear you the first time."

"How old is she?"

"What?"

"How old is our daughter, Claire?"

She stumbled backwards.

"Um . . . See, the thing is . . ."

Suddenly, she reached behind her back and pulled out a revolver.

"Alright, you caught me. I'm not Claire."

Liam squeaked in fear.

"Owen, use the flare gun."

He frowned.

"I think it's a little late for that, kid."

The fake Claire flicked her weapon sharply.

"Alright. Hands up. You're coming with me."

"Who are you?" Owen hissed.

"I don't have to answer that."

Owen looked over her shoulder and hummed.

"Alright. But there's something you should know . . ."

"What?"

"I was stalling."

Like a bolt of green lightning, Delta pounced upon the fake Claire and pinned her to the ground. She yanked the gun out of her hand and tossed it to Owen. He caught it and pointed it at the imposter.

"Nice move, Delta. I take it you made up with Barry?"

"We did a lot of things. He's with Echo. I was going to bring you back, but this seems more important."

Owen cocked the handgun and pointed it at the fake Claire's temple.

"Talk."

She gulped.

"I'm Shmlaire Shmearing, the clone. I was created by Biosyn using the genome of Claire Dearing. They didn't think there was any use for me because I came out part Swedish."

"Swedish?" Owen echoed.

"Yes. It means I'm from Sweden."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"I know. Tell me why you're here."

She whimpered.

"Tesseract Goop has been working with Biosyn to capture Claire Dearing. She's really interested in owning her, but I swear I don't know why. She also has a crystal ball and a magic wand for some reason. I think she got it from the bull."

"Bull?" Owen echoed.

"Yes, it's like cow, only-"

Owen slapped his forehead.

"I know what bulls are. But why is he so important?"

"Because he runs the Beneath. He has access to powerful magic, and he's working against the one they call Ellie."

Liam gave a little jump at the mention of his mother.

"He's trying to take this world from her," Shmlaire continued, "Last I heard, she intervened to save Lily's life. That means her deal with the bull is null and void. He's keeping June's soul, but he still wants to conquer Ellie's realm, even though the trade is no longer valid. She tried to challenge these terms because he was the one who caused the train to derail-"

Owen held up his hand.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah. That thing that attacked us wasn't a bull."

"I know. It was a projection."

"Projection?"

She didn't reply.

"Aren't you gonna explain?" Owen demanded.

"You yelled at me the last two times . . ."

Owen waved his gun, causing her to flinch.

"Alright! Fine!" she snapped, "He made a demonic projection that can drag mortals into the Beneath. Happy? Look, the basic gist of the situation is that Tesseract Goop is working with a supernatural force and a large corporation to imprison Claire Dearing. There are Biosyn mercenaries nearby, but from what I've heard, Ellie is on her way to fight them with an army of her own."

Liam frowned.

"Shit. What if she finds me?"

"Then you'll go home," Owen said tersely, "Now how can we be sure that this information is accurate?"

Shmlaire shrugged.

"I honestly don't want to be a part of this. If you win this battle, I can be free."

Owen narrowed his eyes.

"A likely story. All this talk of magic bulls makes me wonder if you're being completely honest."

She gave him a solemn look.

"Owen, this story is far more complex than you could ever imagine. The conspiracy extends further than you know."

"Further or farther?"

"Both."

Owen sighed.

"Alright. Delta, do you think you can bring this imposter back to Barry while I look for Claire?"

She gave him a little salute.

"I'm on it."

Owen nodded and handed her the flare gun, keeping the revolver for himself.

"Liam, go with her."

His jaw dropped.

"But-"

"Now. You're in enough trouble already."

He pouted and slunk away bitterly. Delta gave Owen a quick bow before pushing Shmlaire forward and taking the lead. Owen watched them leave, then looked down at the gun he was holding. He never thought he'd be forced to carry another weapon after the incident so many years ago. With a deep sigh, he put it in his back pocket.

"I'm not sure I understand what's happening, but it sounds like something really big is about to go down."


	96. Nabbed

Claire bucked her hind legs in panic as Blue dug into her back. Lily screamed in terror, and Charlie tried to yank her Beta's tail. It was a futile effort. Blue tore into Claire savagely, destroying all pretense of restraint. She was determined to kill.

"MOM!"

Lily spun around and struck Blue with her tail, creating two parallel gashes along her thigh. She didn't seem to notice or care. With a blood-curdling shriek, she clamped her jaws around the top of Claire's neck.

"NO!"

Lily trumpeted as loudly as she could, hoping that someone would come to the rescue. Luckily for her, Owen hopped over a fallen log with a revolver in his hand.

"BLUE!"

She gave him a side glance, then continued her pursuit.

"BLUE! STOP! I MEAN IT!"

The raptor smirked through a mouthful of bunched-up scales. She obviously didn't think he had the guts to shoot her.

"Blue . . ."

He lifted his gun with a pained expression. Her smile disappeared.

 _BANG! BANG!_

She fell away from Claire, writhing around on the forest floor. Owen's face showed panic, and for a moment, it seemed as though he was afraid that Blue would die, but he ran straight past her and knelt in front of Claire, grazing his fingers over her wounds.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, and he gave her a kiss. He made a point of rubbing her snout, infinitely grateful that he was now able to do so. Lily and Charlie joined them, nuzzling each parent with relief. They had come dangerously close to losing their family. Seeing that all backs were turned to her, Blue let out a deep crow. Owen frowned.

"Blue."

"Why did you do this to me?" she asked in a quavering voice.

"I warned you. I told you to stop. You betrayed me. You _don't hurt family_ , Blue."

" _I_ was your family."

Owen shook his head.

"No. You wanted to compete with Claire. That's not what family is about."

Blue whimpered.

"But . . . you can't possibly love her. We were meant to be a pack. You're a lone wolf, not a father. I'm the only one here who understands you."

Owen shook his head slowly.

"You don't understand me, Blue. I'm a different person now. People change. Love changes them."

Blue sat bleeding out on the ground, trembling with rage. Her claws were curled into tense spirals, and her teeth were clenched so tightly that it seemed they would break. With a roar that cut through the woodlands like a tornado of claws, Blue leapt to her feet and sprinted towards Claire. She stumbled backwards in panic, not realizing that she was very close to a cliff. The ground crumbled under her weight, and she fell backwards just as Blue pounced. They both tumbled down the steeply sloped hill in a confused tangle. When Blue hit the ground, she was knocked out, but Claire was only slightly scathed. Owen dashed over to the ledge, hanging onto a tree to keep himself from falling.

"CLAIRE?"

"I'm okay!" she called, "Just a little shaken up. Blue's unconscious."

Owen nodded.

"Leave her. We're going home as a family."

Claire tried to climb back up, but it only took her one attempt to realize that it wasn't going to happen. She mooed unhappily and fell back on her rump.

"What now?"

Owen looked left and right.

"There has to be a way up. Keep walking along the edge of the cliff until you find one."

Claire gave an affirmative snort.

"You stay there. I don't want us to get disoriented. What's left of the train track is our only landmark. If we lose that, we'll never find our way home."

Owen nodded.

"Alright. We'll be waiting. By the way, you look very attractive."

"Thank you. We'll have to discuss this in greater detail when I get back."

Claire gave him one last smile, then thundered along the base of the cliff, exhilarated by the prospect that everything would return to normal. There must have been some adrenaline left over in her bloodstream after the fight, because her heart was really pumping. She charged through the trees, not even feeling the twigs snapping beneath her feet. She was running faster than any stegoceratops had dared. As a matter of fact, she was literally moving faster than a horse. It felt so good to have her old body back. It was as if she had spent a day in tight, uncomfortable clothing, and was now proudly donning sweatpants. But she didn't feel fat or ugly or unattractive in any way. She felt whole, complete, and . . . well, _good_. This was the way things were meant to be. This was who she really was.

She thundered onwards, but reared up in panic as Owen stepped in front of her. She found her footing, breathing heavily after the surprise.

"I thought I told you to stay put!"

"Forget that, Claire! Lily's in trouble!"

She trumpeted.

"Trouble?!"

"No time to explain! Follow me!"

He led her into the woods. The glow in her chest had been replaced by a churning void of terror. After all of this, Lily was in danger. Claire had failed her once more. They should have walked together. Why did she think it was a good idea to split up? She was so _stupid_ . . .

Owen slowed to a stop in a dark clearing. Claire caught up to him, panting with a dry tongue.

"Why are we slowing down? Where's Lily?"

"Not here."

Claire looked around.

"Are you lost? Where did you last see her?"

"I'm just following orders."

She wondered what he meant, but when the circus lady stepped out from behind a tree, she knew that she'd been led into a trap. The woman lifted her black cane and pointed it at Claire.

"I'm surprised that worked. Your husband was able to recognize a fake almost immediately."

Claire leaned forward, lifting her tail in warning.

"Don't come any closer."

"I'll do what I want, thank you very much."

She flicked her cane, and Claire was frozen in place. She tried desperately to move, but her muscles wouldn't respond.

"Poor Claire," the villain cooed, "How unfortunate that after all of this, you'll end up being slaughtered by a lowly ringmaster. Well, indirectly. I know you can't be killed by any creature woman-born. That eliminates me. See, I had a mother before I was Tesseract Goop. She's dead now. I really do miss her, but watching you die will make the pain go away."

Claire tried to speak, but she was incapable of moving, of course. She couldn't so much as turn her eyes to look at the vile woman, but that wasn't a problem, because she crouched down in front of her and grazed her index finger over her front horn.

"Gosh, it feels good to see you so powerless. I've waited _years_ to do this. But it's still a little disappointing, I must admit. Although I had to sacrifice my train and circus to capture you tonight, it was barely significant compared to what I expected to give up. I guess a part of me always knew it would be this easy to win, because you're not special. Speaking of which, you're probably wondering why I hate you so much. I'll admit that it's somewhat unfair of me to punish you in this way, when you don't even know what you did wrong. So I'll tell you. Your greatest crime, Claire Dearing, was pretending to be something you're not. You called yourself a Queen, but you're barely even a stegoceratops. You've caused more misery than you know. That's why I won't feel a thing when I watch you die . . . except maybe joy. Joy and satisfaction. By killing you, I'll make this world a slightly better place. I know it's not enough to erase the havoc you've caused, but it's the very least I can do. I'm going to summon my friend now, but we can have some fun in the meantime."

She smiled.

"I'm going to unfreeze your face now. I want to hear you scream."


	97. Every Shadow Has A Penumbra

Claire was no stranger to pain. She had been battered and bruised nearly to the point of death multiple times, but never before had she been tortured. This was the first time someone was causing her pain simply for the fun of it, and of all the torment she had endured up until now, this was the worst. Everyone who had hurt her prior to this had been aiming to kill her, but Tesseract Goop wanted her to feel pain for the sake of pain. Claire was still unsure why this woman despised her, but she certainly didn't think she'd done anything to deserve this brutality. The circus lady was lashing into her with the black cane, which was clearly a magic wand. Every time it struck her scales, it felt as if lightning was cutting into her flesh. And it never ended. She just kept going and going, and it wasn't long before Claire lost the ability to think clearly. Her own screaming was background noise. It barely existed. There was nothing outside of the pain.

Or maybe there was, because she could see something crawling towards her. It was Blue. Despite the fact that she had been shot twice and had fallen down a cliff (not to mention wounded in the fight), she was still determined to put an end to Claire. She very well could, too. Blue had been created in a lab, so she was not woman-born. Perhaps _she_ was the one Tesseract Goop had summoned. But that wasn't important.

Claire was close to death. She could feel it. In her pain-fogged vision, she could make out the shapes of her deceased family members. She saw her mother, her grandparents, Rock, Sandy . . . but the pain grew duller, more numb. Tesseract Goop was distracted. Someone had caught her attention. And there he was. Owen was sliding down the cliff, coming to her rescue. He knew that Blue was trying to finish what she started, and he had come all this way to save his wife. Little did he know that she was already in trouble. Ah, well. He was here now, and Claire was starting to regain her lucidity.

But something didn't feel right about this. Well, first of all, there was the fake Owen, who was sitting guiltily at the base of a tree, but the real Owen was unaware of something very important. Tesseract Goop had a wand. A magic wand. And . . . and that wasn't good.

Claire's eyelids drooped. She was half dead. Owen's shape was rippling in her vision like agitated water. He was getting closer. The only pain she felt now was what was left over. That meant Tesseract Goop wasn't focused on her anymore. She wasn't using the wand. She wasn't-

Owen lifted his revolver, but Tesseract Goop beat him to the punch. She flicked her wand, and a shimmering bolt caught him square in the chest. Claire knew for sure that the evil woman had been watching her for a very long time, because she had changed Owen into a jerboa. She knew. She knew everything.

Owen tried to grab the gun, which was now larger than him, but Tesseract Goop grabbed him by the waist and flung him against a nearby tree. When he hit the wood, he let out a pained squeak, then fell to the ground motionless. Claire screamed. She broke through the spell that was binding her and leapt to her feet. As she charged forward, she slammed the circus woman with her horn, sending her flying. Her wand landed nearby, but before she could grab it, Charlie sprung out of the bushes and snapped it up in her jaws. Claire winced, her energy spent after her burst of enthusiasm. She crawled over to Owen. One of his ears was folded in a funny way. He wasn't looking too good. She picked him up gently, and noticed that he was breathing rapidly. He coughed, and she saw blood on his lips.

"Owen! . . ."

She could only see one of his eyes. It flicked over to her, then closed slightly as he wheezed. She cradled his tiny body in her palms, tears stinging at her eyes.

"Owen, no . . ."

"Claire . . . Take care of Lily . . . Take care of our daughter . . ."

She held him against her cheek. His paw brushed across her scales. Blue, meanwhile, was still trying to approach her, but for a different reason. She screeched in agony, reaching out for Owen. Claire sniffled and scooted away from her.

"Don't touch him! He's hurt!"

"You idiot! Don't you think I know that? Give him to me! I have as much right to hold him as _you_ do!"

It was then that Lily caught up with the group. She saw the strange scene in front of her and put the pieces together.

"DAD!"

The fake Owen lifted his head as she ran past him, wondering if she had made the same mistake as Claire, but she knew her real father, even as a rodent. She whined miserably and tried to nuzzle him, but he gave a light shudder.

"Lily . . ."

"Don't die, Daddy! Not now! I just got a sister! We were supposed to be a family!"

Owen smiled and placed his paw on her lip.

"You'll still be . . . a family. You have each other. Don't need . . . me. Just be brave . . . be strong . . . I'm proud of you."

Lily whimpered. Claire turned to Charlie with pleading eyes.

"Find the others. Hurry!"

She nodded, grabbed the wand, and scurried away to rally her friends, stepping over Blue without acknowledging her. Claire laid Owen on the ground, and Lily placed a thick twig beneath him to support his head. He draped his hand over his fluffy chest.

"Don't bury me . . . in a shoebox . . ."

Claire sniffled.

"Owen . . ."

There was a deep cackle. Tesseract Goop stood up, wiping blood away from the corner of her mouth.

"This _is_ a pickle now, isn't it?"

Claire growled.

"Murderer!"

She scoffed.

"Oh, _I'm_ the murderer? Look who's talking!"

Claire stamped her foot.

"You're insane! I've never killed anyone as long as I've lived!"

Tesseract Goop shook her head.

"You're wrong."

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the crystal ball. After staring into its refractive depths, she dropped it at her feet and closed her eyes.

"It's time to tell you the truth."

Shadows emerged from the ground, curling around her like vines. She grew, changing into a shape that Claire recognized. She stared in horror at the stegoceratops standing before her. She was ebony with a frill and plates that seemed almost purple under the moon's light. There was no doubt that she was a pure hybrid, because she had five toes on her front feet and only two horns. Her tired eyes met Claire's from inside their dark lining, and she let out a deep breath.

"This is what I am. I am a stegoceratops, unlike you."

Claire stepped forward slowly.

"You survived . . ."

"The massacre? No, I was never there. But I remember the first attack."

She rolled the crystal ball over to Claire. When she touched it, she saw an image of a tiny, dark stegoceratops playing in a meadow.

"My name was Penumbra. I had a happy life. My family was poor, because my father died plowing the fields, but my mother was able to support me just fine."

Claire saw a larger stegoceratops sitting with her arms spread. The child jumped into them and hugged her neck.

"I loved her more than anyone in the world. No matter what happened, we always had each other. You might have heard that our race lived peacefully with humans. This is true. But all of a sudden, everything changed."

The image shifted to a night scene. A group of men were lassoing stegoceratopses and loading them into a train.

"The leader of the humans blamed us for the hardships both races faced. His name was Joninashiparthua Wala. He rounded us up in labor camps. My mother and I were deemed fit for work. They allowed us to live. Like our brothers and sisters, they branded us with the dictator's initials. They had to try a few times before they realized that it wouldn't show up on our black flanks. But they found a way."

Claire looked at her present shape and saw that the scales on her thigh had been scraped away to reveal pink tissue. Two letters, a J and a W, were burned into her flesh.

"After months of toil and pain, my mother and a group of males came up with an escape plan. My mother and I were the only ones who made it past the gate. The others were shot down."

Claire watched the stegoceratops and her daughter run into the forest. Penumbra dashed across a log that bridged the gap between two ends of a canyon. She stood safely on the other side while her mother looked down at a whitewater river with fear.

 _Mama, hurry!_

 _Penny, hide in the forest._

 _No, Mama, I need you to show me the way. Come on, Mama, it's not that far._

The old stegoceratops placed her foot on the log uncertainly. She pulled herself up and began to cross the gap. The log shifted under her weight, but she kept going.

 _That's it, Mama! You're almost there!_

Suddenly, a human soldier appeared from the woods. He lifted his gun and shot Penumbra's mother three times.

 _MAMA!_

She watched in horror as her mother's eyes rolled back into her head. She slipped from the log and was swallowed up by the river, leaving her daughter screaming on the ledge.

"I lost everything," the present Penumbra recalled, "I was left to wander the woods alone, praying for a miracle."

Claire shook her head. She was still wrapped up in the vision.

"Penumbra, you never saw what happened after that. The soldier didn't know you were there. He only noticed you when you started crying. He spared your life . . . and . . ."

She turned the crystal ball.

". . . and he saved your people. He overthrew Wala and made the humans leave your valley. It sunk into the ground . . ."

Penumbra sneered.

"I know what happened to the valley! I watched my people change over time, until they were less and less recognizable. We lost our pride, our culture, our shin-claws . . ."

Claire stared at the toes hanging from the inside of her heels.

"But that would take a long time . . . How are you still alive?"

"My journey led me to a mountain," Penumbra explained, "There was a genie there. He said that I could have a wish. I told him I wanted to be safe from the curse of old age, that I may one day see the three-horned Queen who was destined to save us. Oh, yes. We knew about the prophecy. And no one believed it more aggressively than I. I knew that if I was patient, I would one day see my people liberated. But as time went on, I lost hope. I wished to return to my herd, as destitute as they were, but I couldn't find a way back into the valley. I was desperate. I begged for help, and it came to me in the form of a bull. He promised me that I could use the crystal ball to look upon my people from the outside, and that I could make magic with the wand to protect my identity. I gave him my soul. I wanted nothing more than to see my valley restored to its former glory. I waited for an eternity to look upon the glorious, righteous, heavenly Queen the ancient prophecy spoke of. An then _you_ came along. You are not a Queen, you are not a stegoceratops, and you are not a friend to my people. Because of you, they were slaughtered by war elephants. I had to watch my brothers and sisters die once more. This time, there were none left."

Claire felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She lowered her head and took a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have been the Queen you waited for, but you have to believe that I didn't intend to lead them to their demise. All these years, the thought of what could have been has haunted me, and knowing that someone shares my pain only makes it worse. The guilt hasn't been lifted from my heart, and it never will be. I won't forget my mistake until the day I die, but I wouldn't want to. Knowing that I was the cause of so much suffering makes me strive to be better. I will never make the same mistake again, and I will try to do as much good as I can to prevent another disaster from befalling innocent people. Just like the man who let you go, I will never be free from my remorse, but as long as I bear that cross, no one else will get hurt."

For a moment, Penumbra's face softened, but then she glared at her with more contempt than she'd ever seen in her entire life.

"I don't want your apology. I want this to end."

"It already has," Claire said, "I made a mistake that led to the deaths of my truest friends. Right now, I'm doing my best to make sure that it never happens again."

Penumbra dug her toes into the earth.

"This will only be reconciled with your death!"

"Why?" Claire asked, "I'm not going to provoke another massacre. Killing me won't change anything. All it will do is make you a murderer."

"I'll have my revenge-"

"What purpose does that serve? I'm not your enemy, Penumbra. If it were possible, I'd create a world of free stegoceratopses, just like you wanted."

"You can't say that! You're not one of us!"

Claire looked up at the sky.

"I'm not so sure. Penumbra, before your people were forced into camps, they bred freely with humans, producing fertile offspring. The first stegoceratopses were sent back in time from a place I called home. They came from Jurassic World. I don't know what Henry Wu was up to, but somehow, he managed to create dinosaurs whose genetic code was not too far from humans'."

"What are you saying? Did he use human DNA to synthesize hybrids?"

"I can't say for sure, but regardless of whether or not he intended to make us so close, that's the way it happened. I mean, every living creature is made up of the same four things. It's not that crazy, right? So we really are the same, you and I. We're the same species."

Penumbra seemed to be calming down. Claire smiled at her sadly, holding out her front foot.

"Come home with us."

Penumbra's eyes flicked up to her face.

"You're saying we're family?"

"Yes."

"Right . . . We're sisters, you and I . . ."

"Of course."

"You want what's best for the stegoceratops race?"

"Absolutely. I'll do anything to prove that to you."

"Good . . . you can start . . . _by dying_!"

She lunged at Claire, who dodged her attack. Penumbra wheeled around, undaunted, and gave an irate trumpet. She snorted, and the breath puffing from her nostrils was like smoke. Claire adopted a submissive pose.

"Please, Penny. Don't do this."

"Don't call me that! You have no right!"

She charged again, and Claire knocked her to the side reluctantly.

"You were supposed to be our savior!" the stegoceratops roared, "You're a sham! A lie! A traitor!"

Claire blocked her attacks, praying that she'd relent.

"I didn't mean to! Please, believe me!"

She didn't. She kept charging and charging, leaving Claire no choice but to fight. Still, she couldn't find the strength.

"Filthy human! I'll kill you!"

Lily, who had been watching in horror, left her father's side to stand firmly between the two hybrids. She bellowed and stomped her foot.

"STOP! Don't you see that my mother is right? We're the same. All of us. Me, my dad, my mom, Charlie . . . and Blue."

The raptor lifted her head. Lily continued her speech.

"We're family. Just because someone doesn't look like you doesn't give you the right to treat them like an animal. That's how the stegoceratops were driven to extinction. There _is_ a way to ensure that humans and stegoceratopses and raptors can live together in peace, but we won't get any closer to that goal until we stop blaming each other for what happened in the past. Killing for revenge is still killing. If we proceed with violence, nothing will change."

Penumbra scoffed.

"Fine talk, coming from the girl who wanted to be human."

"I changed my mind," Lily said, "I don't care what I am, as long as there are people who accept me."

Penumbra smirked.

"Your parents may have chosen to ignore your mutant genes, but I doubt the world will be as understanding as they are. What of your carnivorous friend? Didn't he say he'd give anything to be a real raptor?"

There was a loud bark. Penumbra turned to see Liam standing with a very healthy-looking jerboa on his shoulder.

"I changed my mind too. Kind of. When all is said and done, no magic can make me a real raptor. It's up to me. That's why I've chosen to save Lily's father with my wish: a real raptor defends his packmates."

Penumbra quirked a brow.

"You know your soul belongs to me now, right?"

Liam shrugged.

"I guess. In hindsight, it wasn't a very good move on my part, but I'm willing to do this for Lily, and besides, the others are coming to back me up."

Claire nodded.

"It's over, Penumbra. For now, anyway. If you choose to let go of the past, we can move forward together. It's up to you now."

Penumbra shook her head.

"You don't fool me with your lies."

"I'm not-"

"WHORE!"

She charged forward, and Claire pushed her away. Penumbra snorted, then turned her head to glare at Lily, who was standing nearby. Claire mooed in panic as she changed course, and grabbed her tail with her beak. She fought back. Now that Claire knew she wasn't the only target, she found the courage to face the raging hybrid. They locked horns, pushing each other across the clearing. When they clashed, the force seemed to send shock waves through the night. It was like living thunder. Their muscles rippled and swung in a display that tore through time itself, slowing every second to an eternity. Their bellows were heard for miles, echoing through the twisted mountains. The impact of their battle was felt by all who looked on in horror as the titans slammed feet against belly and frill against shoulder. They were matched in skill and strength. For a moment, it seemed like there would be no winner, that they would keep fighting until the end of time. But then it happened. Claire reared up on her hind legs and tossed her head. She plunged forward, and her horns slid into Penumbra's eye sockets. A mix of red and white fluids poured down her cheeks. She screamed. Claire realized what she had done, and pulled back in horror. The stegoceratops fell on her chest, moaning in anguish. Claire started hyperventilating. She placed her front foot on Penumbra's cheek.

"No, no, no, no, no! Hang on! Just hang on!"

The blood was trickling over her toes. She tried to wipe it away.

"Don't die on me. Not now. You're the last. I can't live knowing that I've killed the last . . ."

Penumbra's hollow eyes bore into her soul.

"You can never escape it. Their blood is on your hands. All the world's oceans can't make you clean. You're a murderer. You may lie to yourself, you may claim that you're trying to do good, but you can never forget . . ."

Her last breath escaped her in a dry rasp, and she slumped forward. Claire let go of her face and backed away from the eyeless corpse. She stared forward vacantly, then returned to the present when Owen placed his tiny paw on her ankle.

"You tried."

Claire nodded, but she didn't seem convinced. Although she was not ready to move on, she forced herself to do so when Lily gave her a hug.

"It's okay, Mama. No one else has to get hurt now."

Claire sighed.

"Yes. It's over."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar raptor leapt into the clearing. She gasped when she saw them, dropping a black stick that she had been carrying in her mouth, and scampered away fearfully. Claire picked up her lost artifact and recognized it as Penumbra's wand.

"That was Shmlaire!" the fake Owen shouted as he crawled out from behind a rock, where he had been hiding, "She's changed herself into a raptor!"

Claire frowned.

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she wants two things: to run far enough to escape her problems and to silence herself so that no one else has to get hurt."

"What if she attacks someone?" the real Owen asked in his high-pitched rodent voice.

"She wouldn't. She wants to be free. There's nothing she can do to interfere with you now."

He looked down, lacing his fingers together.

"I . . . I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't either, but all the same, I feel the need to ask . . . I mean . . . When I'm with her, it's unlike anything I've ever felt before, and to think that she'd be all alone in the wilderness . . . I . . . I just . . ."

Claire nodded.

"I understand."

She tapped him with the wand, and he became a raptor too.

"Go. Find her. Whether she knows it or not, you need each other."

The raptor Owen nodded, then pursued his accomplice. Claire smiled gently.

"Good luck."

Liam frowned.

"You're just gonna let them go?"

Claire nodded.

"They deserve a chance to live as much as the rest of us. In this form, they won't bother anyone."

Owen hopped up to her and tapped her toe with his claw.

"Um, Claire, if you're handy with that wand, maybe you could . . ."

She smiled and changed him back into a human. He spun around to make sure that he no longer had a tail, then gave her a hug.

"Thank you. And thank you too, Liam. You saved my life."

The raptor grinned.

"No problem. Maybe you can keep that in mind in the near future, seeing how I'd like to invite Lily out on a date sometime soon."

Lily squealed with glee and gave him a hug, and Owen's eye twitched.

"Um . . . Give me a minute to think about it."

Claire nodded.

"Yes, let's not jump into things when we're all recovering from . . . this. Once the others get here, we can ask for their input as well."

Owen looked around.

"Yeah, where are they?"

"They had to carry Echo," Liam explained, "They should be here soon. Unless they run into trouble."

Claire shook her head.

"No chance of that. We're safe now, considering everyone who was trying to kill us is . . . you know."

"Except Blue," Owen said bitterly.

The raptor looked up at him with glazed eyes, now completely drained from her injuries.

"I'm sorry. Things got out of hand."

"That's not an excuse," he mumbled, "You're not coming home with us."

Claire gulped.

"Owen, don't you think that's a bit harsh? She's too weak to hurt me, and besides, Penumbra is gone, so she has no reinforcements."

Blue narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not on her side, Claire."

"You're not?"

"No! I only met her a few hours ago, and besides, she's a stupid hybrid . . . um, not that that's a problem for me, exactly . . ."

Claire frowned.

"But if you weren't on her side, who was she talking about when she said she was going to summon a friend?"

 _THUMP_.

The blood in her veins turned to ice.

 _THUMP_.

The others heard it too.

 _THUMP_.

It was a footstep. Bigger than a T-Rex. Bigger than the I-Rex. Bigger than anything Claire had ever heard.

 _THUMP_.

The sound of splintering trees echoed through the woods. It was getting closer.

 _THUMP_. _THUMP_.

A gob of saliva big enough to fill a bathtub landed by her feet. Slowly, her eyes traveled from a massive foot to a bulky leg to a gargantuan body to a sneering, toothy snout. The blue monster, cracking with dark lightning, looked down at her, revealing two horns above his blood-red eyes. Owen's face fell.

"Um, Claire . . . would you call that a projection?"

She shook her head.

"Ah, no. I'd call that a giant, demonic carnotaurus."

And it roared.


	98. Devil In Disguise

The group scattered, weaving between the trees as the titanic dinosaur pursued them. It soon became clear that they would not be able to outrun him, for every step he took closed the gap significantly. By this point, he was really just playing around with them, yet there was no choice but to keep pressing on. Lily tripped, and Claire nudged her upright. The jaws of the monster snapped inches from the tips of their tails.

"MAMA!"

"KEEP RUNNING!"

There was a sharp cry from the clearing they abandoned. Claire realized that they had left Blue behind. The monster felt no urge to finish her off, apparently. Why was she calling out, then?

Claire yelped in surprise as a yellow figure flew over their heads. It landed in front of them, letting out a mighty roar.

"Elkay!" Claire cheered.

She gave an affirmative snort.

"Yeah, I didn't expect me to be in this story either, but there was a change of plans. I'm here to serve as your Deus Ex Machina, so step aside and let me-"

She made a squeaking sound when the beast's foot landed near her. Slowly, she looked up at his grinning face.

"Um . . . He's bigger than I was expecting."

Claire gulped.

"Can you fight him?"

Elkay gave a noncommittal hum.

"I can try."

She paused, then snaked through the monster's legs and attacked him from the side. He swung around as she chewed his back. Unfortunately, he chomped down on one of her extended wings and threw her to the ground.

"OH, FUCK!"

Claire gasped in horror as the demon snapped her neck and tossed her to the side. He roared, and the chase began anew.

The group stumbled along blindly, disoriented in the dark forest, until another shape joined them. Charlie sprinted alongside Claire, nearly out of breath.

"The others are with Blue."

"Charlie, this is kind of a bad time!"

"You don't understand. I'm proposing we split up and meet in the clearing."

"We won't be able to shake this guy."

"Not if we stick together."

Claire glanced at the raptor as they ran, taking in her words. After careful consideration, she nodded.

"Get the others to safety."

"Claire-"

"If it goes after me, you have to promise to let it happen."

Charlie's raptor-lip quivered. She sniffed and nuzzled her, taking care not to be trod upon in their race.

"I never had a mother. I want you to know that you're the best I could have hoped for."

Claire smiled and gave her a nudge. Then, she turned back to the never-ending woods.

"EVERYONE, SPLIT UP!" she cried.

They did. For a moment, the demon did not know who to go after. Claire looked over her shoulder, and her heart lifted as she speculated that he may stand there without attacking any of them. But then he went after Lily.

"NO!"

Claire changed her path, charging towards the monster. She skewered his leg with her front horns as he made a lunge for her daughter. He didn't appear to feel the pain, but he noticed her standing at his feet. Before she could react, he clamped his jaws around her body. His mouth was big enough that she was a chew toy by comparison. And he did chew her. The pain was enough to make her see spots. She could hear Lily screaming, but the monster flung her to the ground, and everything was muted by an unsteady ringing. She felt the warm, moist breath of the dinosaur on her shoulder.

"You're too easy to kill. Give me a challenge, please."

Claire was breathing heavily. She couldn't bring herself to look at the beast.

"Come on. Get up. Get up, or I'll kill your daughter."

Claire stood. Lily looked at her with worry.

"Run . . ." Claire croaked.

The demon laughed.

"No use in telling her to flee. Sooner or later, I _always_ find my prey."

Claire shook her head.

"Not if I kill you."

He chuckled.

"Yes, because you're _so_ good at _that_. Tell me, is her soul weighing on your conscience? She's in _my_ realm now. You sent her to her doom."

Claire glowered at Lily.

"Run! Run, goddamn it!"

She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you, Mama."

The monster turned to face her.

"You've raised a stupid little girl."

Claire gnashed her teeth.

"Lily, go find your father. I mean it."

She whimpered.

"Mama . . ."

"If you love me, you will run away."

Lily turned with tears trickling down her cheeks and scampered into the forest. The demon turned back to Claire.

"I will kill her once you're dead."

Claire stamped her foot and snorted.

"I'd better not die, then."

The carnotaurus smirked.

"You're confident. I can see why Ellie was so keen to save you."

"Save me?" Claire echoed.

"Oh, yes. For a decade, she's been training herself to use magic without losing control, that she may assist you when the time came to tell this story. Unfortunately for her, I proposed an ultimatum, and the terms did not work in her favor. I get to keep my winnings, and what's more, I'm going to take everything she was working to protect . . . including you."

Claire swallowed.

"I don't understand."

"Simple," he said, "I'm not playing fair. Ellie is. She has to, or she'll relapse. Evil always wins, because it has no restraint. The nice guy finishes last, as they say . . ."

Claire nodded.

"Maybe, but I think you'll find that good people don't mind losing, because losing isn't the same as failure. If a person does what's right, the larger victory belongs to them."

The dinosaur lowered his head so that their eyes could meet.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're going to die."

She stared him down defiantly.

"We'll see."

Her confidence melted away when he started cackling hysterically.

"Oh, that's precious! Look here, I have godly powers, and you're just a pudgy little dinosaur. No, you're less than that. You're a _human_."

His eyes began to glow with cinnamon light, and Claire felt herself changing.

"What are you gonna do without your horns, puny woman?" he taunted.

Claire stood on two feet, balling her hands into fists.

"I don't need horns to fight you."

He laughed.

"And I suppose you're going to fight me with kindness and respect?"

"No."

"Then you're going to die a martyr?"

"No."

"What are you planning, Claire Dearing?"

She took a deep breath.

"You said that you're evil, right?"

"Of course."

"Who _does_ that? Evil people don't know they're evil. That's why they can hurt others without feeling remorse."

"Ah, but I _know_ my actions are malevolent. Those who are strong enough to crush their competitors will _always_ come out on top. Survival of the fittest."

Claire shook her head.

"You obviously don't understand that phrase. The fittest are not always the strongest, the biggest, the most violent . . . they're the animals who know how to survive. I think you'll find that friendship, love, family- any kind of social behavior, really- is what makes a species strong."

The dinosaur snorted.

"Again, let me remind you that your sense of community isn't going to stop me from killing you."

Claire closed her eyes.

"I don't expect it to. But there's something you should know. You call yourself evil because you believe that it's important to rise above others. I have a hard time calling myself good because I know that I've made mistakes. I've . . . I've hurt people. Tonight, I killed one of my own. But . . . I did it to save my daughter. That doesn't erase my guilt, but I promise you that I'd do the same thing a million times over if it meant that my baby girl would be safe. That's why I'm not evil. 'Evil' is a word that humans assigned to anything they considered harmful. You may think that evil is necessary, but if that were the case, we wouldn't have invented the word to begin with. There is a reason why we consider things 'evil'. Through the years, we've learned that selfish, violent actions can only get us so far. You can choose to be cynical, pretending that your aggressive ways make you superior to the majority of sentient creatures, but the fundamental truth is that we need each other, and if we follow the path of 'evil', we'll end up alone. Claw your way to the top, and you'll be the ruler of an empty world. Stick with others, and you'll be-"

"Richer than the richest kings? Oh, please. You simply don't want to admit that I'm ahead of the curve."

Claire shook her head.

"No. You're just an asshole."

He roared, preparing to swallow her whole, but she reached down, grabbed her shoe, and flung it at his face. The heel became embedded in his eye. While he struggled to remove it, she grabbed her other shoe and took aim. By the time she threw it, he had changed position. It got stuck in his throat, and he began to choke.

"I wasn't aiming for that, but I'll take it."

She shrieked in surprise as the monster burst into flames. He fell to the ground, and his scaly body dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the fire . . . which was beginning to spread! Claire turned around and sprinted barefoot through the forest, heading for the clearing where the others were (hopefully) waiting.

"LILY! OWEN! CHARLIE!"

Claire gasped as a raptor hopped out of the woods.

"Delta! Oh my god! You scared me!"

She chirruped in confusion.

"You're human again . . ."

Claire nodded.

"Unfortunately. But that's not important right now. There's a fire."

Delta nodded.

"I'll gather the others."

She scampered into the woods, returning with Barry, Charlie, Lily, Liam, and Owen, who was carrying Echo. Claire frowned.

"Where's Blue?"

Owen's eyes went wide.

"Claire, you're-"

"I know. The monster changed me, but he's dead now. Where's Blue?"

"We're not bringing her with us," Owen said grimly.

"Why not?"

"She tried to _kill_ you, Claire."

He had a point. Still, Claire didn't feel comfortable with his decision.

"There's a fire. It's spreading fast. I don't think she's strong enough to escape it."

Owen nodded.

"She'll die, then."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"You're just going to let that happen?"

Owen frowned.

"Yes, Claire. She had her chance to join us and chose to sabotage our relationship. She's on her own now."

Claire shook her head in disbelief.

"You can't be serious."

"I am. We can't bring her back with us. This is the only way."

Claire turned to the raptors.

"And you're all okay with this?"

Echo looked down.

"I don't feel safe when she's around."

Delta nodded with regret.

"It's best to let nature take its course."

Claire was shocked. She turned to Charlie.

"And what about you?"

Her throat quivered as she gave a not-quite-chirp.

"Blue used to be my friend, but lately, she's been using me to get to Owen. I don't like being manipulated. She's not my Beta, and she's not my sister. From now on, I'm listening to my dad."

Claire bit her lip.

"I . . . I don't want to leave her behind."

Owen sighed.

"Claire, she doesn't deserve a second chance."

The flickering glow of the forest fire was beginning to illuminate the trees. Claire took a deep breath.

"Right. Everyone, get to safety. I'm going back for Blue."

Owen glared at her.

"No. You're coming with us."

She started jogging towards the clearing.

"I'll be out of the forest by the time the fire reaches this area. We'll talk about Blue once everyone is safe."

"But Claire-"

"Just shut up and listen to me!"

She left before he had a chance to stop her. As the fire's light grew brighter, Claire's heart rate accelerated. She gazed up at the trees, wondering if she'd be able to recognize them from this angle. They were dancing with orange. She was running out of time. Desperate, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"BLUE!"

There was a sound. It was shrill and pathetic, and Claire didn't know whether or not the raptor was making it. Still, it was better than nothing. She changed direction, and was relieved to find Blue lying at the end of a red trail.

"Blue! I'm here to rescue you."

The dinosaur lifted her head hopefully.

"Owen changed his mind?"

So he hadn't even bothered to lie to her. Well, she was less likely to resist if she thought that Owen was waiting.

"Yes. Let me carry you."

Blue closed her eyes and went limp. She knew she had no choice. Claire hoisted her up on her shoulders.

"Alright. Let's go."

She could smell smoke. Flames were jumping from bough to bough. The heat was approaching them, and they were downwind.

"We need to hurry," Claire said, half to herself.

"Can you run faster?" Blue asked.

"Not anymore."

It was getting warm. Her eyes and nose were starting to sting. She blinked away the tears and struggled to stop herself from coughing.

"We can make it. We can make it."

"Can we?"

Claire's lip trembled.

"We have to."

The fire was beginning to outrun them. Claire felt urgency welling up in her chest. At this rate, she would have no choice but to leave the raptor behind. Clearly, Blue could also sense that this was the case.

"Run! . . . Run! . . ." she pleaded.

Claire stumbled. The extra weight made it easy for her to topple over. She could feel twigs and pebbles digging into her palms. Blue had landed in front of her. She was crying.

"Please, please . . ."

Claire reached out and touched her snout.

"I'm not leaving you."

They both screamed when a burning tree toppled over, sending sparks into their eyes.

"HURRY!"

Claire lifted her once more, but found that the smoke was beginning to make it difficult to breathe. She could certainly escape if she left Blue behind, but she couldn't bear to have another life on her conscience. It was possible that she wouldn't have a choice . . .

And then, a miracle! Lily leapt through the flames with Liam on her back. She scooped Blue off of her mother's shoulders with her horns.

"Lily!"

"Dad is furious. He doesn't understand. We have to make it back alive to prove that we're right."

Liam hopped down, dancing over hot embers.

"For the record, I think this is a stupid idea."

Another tree fell, cuing them to leave. They thundered through the now blazing wood, desperate to escape the hell that was consuming the world around them. Liam took the lead, guiding them through the inferno. He was much too agile for them to keep up, however, and Lily gave a fearful trumpet.

"Liam! Slow down!"

"How about you move faster?"

Claire grunted as she stumbled across the very sharp forest floor. She was having trouble keeping up with Lily, and the fire was everywhere.

"Lily, baby, don't run off! We can't lose each other!"

"We're close! I can smell fresh air!"

A blackened tree began to growl. Claire gasped.

"LILY!"

Her daughter disappeared behind a wall of fire as the tree fell. Claire screamed at the top of her lungs, darting back and forth to find a way through. Impossible. She fell to her knees and started sobbing.

"Lily! . . . Lily! . . ."

She wept for a while, screaming periodically with a helpless desperation, then felt someone pull her to her feet forcefully. Owen tugged on her hand.

"We have to go. Now."

Claire sniffed.

"But Lily-"

"She's safe. Hurry."

She followed him through the blaze. They emerged near a river, where the foliage was harder to ignite. Lily was waiting on the other side. Claire crossed the stream, stepping quickly across wet stones, and gave her daughter a hug.

"Lily!"

"Blue's safe, Momma. She's with Charlie and the others."

Claire pressed her forehead against Lily's chest.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god . . . I thought I'd lost you."

Lily shook her head.

"Ellie saved me."

"Ellie?!" Claire marveled.

"Yes, and . . . and she took Liam back to her world."

Claire sighed.

"Right. We'd better get out of here. It won't take long for the fire to spread, and Blue needs medical attention."

Lily gulped.

"Are we walking home?"

Claire took a shaky breath.

"We're not even in the same state . . ."

They were blinded by a beam of light that shone down from the sky. A massive airship-helicopter was hovering above them. Claire shielded her eyes, but lowered her hand when a familiar voice rang out from a megaphone.

"Need a lift?"

Claire gasped.

"Mr. Masrani?"

"The one and only. I'm here to take you home. The others are already inside."

A ladder dropped from the ship, and they began to climb. Claire went after Lily to make sure she wouldn't fall. When they were safely inside, she did up her seatbelt. Oddly enough (or perhaps not), a white tiger was piloting the plane.

"Oh . . . You're not tiny anymore," Claire mumbled.

He nodded.

"Yes, we did a Bollywood thing . . . Ah, never mind. That's a story for another day. Let's get you home."

The ship turned around, soaring above the treetops. Claire looked out at the scene below them and saw a team of mercenaries fighting a pack of large dinosaurs. The latter had just about won the battle, it seemed. Nearby, two spinosaurs were staring at each other silently. One was being restrained by a full body brace, and the other was free. Claire squinted, thinking she recognized the dinosaur being held prisoner, but Lily exhaled quietly and laid her head in her lap. Claire smiled and stroked her snout.

"Mama . . ." Lily whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for running away."

Claire rested her cheek on her daughter's frill.

"Shhh, it's okay. We're going home now. We're going home."

Lily smiled and closed her eyes. She fell asleep within a matter of seconds. It wasn't long before Claire did the same.


	99. Rhapsody In Blue

Blue was having a hard time distinguishing what was real and what was a part of her imagination. She felt sick and dizzy and just not very good in general. She didn't know which direction was up and which direction was down, and they seemed to switch places when she came close to discovering their identities. There were times when she even forgot what directions were, or that words existed, or that _anything_ existed. It was a _nightmare_!

But she woke up eventually.

She was in a barn. It was an old structure with a curved ceiling. When Blue looked up at the rafters, her vision doubled, so she decided to focus on closer objects. A junky heater was glowing orange on the floor, blowing warm air towards her through a rusty grate. Her wounds had been dressed. More importantly, someone was dabbing her forehead with a damp rag.

"Owen? . . ."

"No. It's Claire."

"Where's Owen?"

"Back in the house."

"When is he coming back?"

"Try to sleep, Blue."

That made sense. If she slept, time would go by faster, and Owen's return wouldn't seem to take so long. That was good. She could live with that.

Blue fell asleep again.

***TSJWFEW***

When the raptor woke, it was night. At first, she assumed that she was still dreaming, because Owen hadn't come back yet, and that was impossible. Surely, he wouldn't wait an entire day to check up on her? . . .

Her orange eyes turned to the ceiling. Moonlight was trickling through cracks in the wood. Why had they left her in the barn, when it seemed like it hadn't been used for years? Shouldn't she be in the house where it was warm and safe?

Blue gave a feeble chirp. Her throat was dry, and her tongue felt fuzzy. They wouldn't be able to hear her. She'd have to go find them, obviously.

When she tried to sit up, she found that there was a rope tied around one of her legs. She stared at it, wondering if she was imagining things. Owen would never tie her up . . . would he?

She was too weak to chew through the knot. It made her dizzy to even try. She fell back against the sacks of grain she was lying on. Until now, she hadn't noticed how scratchy they were. The dirty quilt they had covered her with was no better. And the heater was the _worst_ _part_ of this entire setup! Blue enjoyed sharing the warmth of her sisters, not this ugly machine!

She kicked it over with her free foot. This made it shut down. In her frustration, she hadn't realized that it was a very bad idea to remove her only source of heat. The barn was drafty, and it would remain that way throughout the night.

And it was a very long night, indeed.

***TSJWFEW***

Blue squinted in pain when Claire kicked open the barn door. She tried to tell herself that her visitor was actually Owen, but when her eyes adjusted to the dazzling light that blurred out the woman's shape, she couldn't convince herself to believe in her dream. She blinked several times to counteract the stinging brightness. Claire knelt down beside her and felt her forehead.

"What temperature are you supposed to be?"

Blue batted her eyes.

"What?"

"I need to be sure you don't have a fever. What temperature are you, usually?"

Blue tried to recall.

"I don't know," she muttered, "Can't you ask Owen? He'd be able to tell you."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Owen . . . isn't available right now."

"What about Barry?"

"He's with Delta in the other world."

Blue pulled her head back in surprise.

"The others just let her go?"

Claire nodded.

"They'll visit every now and then. I don't like going to Isla Nublar, because . . . it's a long story. But I can make an exception for my friends."

"Barry and Delta . . . Are they getting married?"

"Already did. There wasn't a ceremony or anything. Just legal papers. They didn't want to waste any time."

Blue looked down at the straw that barely covered the floor. It was a boring sight, but she'd rather look at nothing than make eye contact with Claire.

"I wish I could have been there, all the same. Is she visiting soon? Can I talk to her?"

Claire bit her lip.

"Um . . . I think we'd better wait. She has her honeymoon to worry about."

Blue gulped.

"Oh. What about the others? Where's Charlie?"

"With Lily. They're probably feeding the chickens right now. We lost two of them while we were away. They're buried near the flower garden."

"I'm sorry. Is Echo here?"

"She's in the house, yes. Now that she's sobered up, she's taken it upon herself to be Lily's aunt."

"Can I see her?"

"Not right now."

"Is it true that Foxtrot died?"

Claire nodded.

"We're working on a memorial."

Blue placed her chin on the ground.

"I guess this means we're not a pack anymore."

Claire shrugged.

"Maybe. I wouldn't worry about it."

Blue sighed.

"What do I do now?"

"Recover," Claire said, "Save your strength. Hopefully, you'll be able to walk soon."

She stood up.

"I'm going to get you some eggs, okay?"

Blue slid her neck across the floor.

"How long do I have to stay in here?"

"Not long. Be patient."

***TSJWFEW***

Claire was lying. Blue spent a week waiting for someone to invite her back into the house, but no one did. More than anything, she wanted to be with Owen. He hadn't even visited yet. Obviously, Claire was stopping him. Blue was furious, but a part of her wondered why Claire was the one bringing her food and water. Did she want to seem kind without allowing any access to the Alpha? Maybe.

She discovered just how wrong she was when Claire walked backwards into the barn with a tray of raw hamburger meat. She kicked the door closed, but it didn't shut all the way. Through the crack, Blue could see Owen watering the garden.

"OWEN! OWEN, I'M AWAKE! CRAW! CRAW! CR-"

Claire backhanded her and held her mouth shut.

"Stop it, Blue! He's going to think you're attacking me!"

The raptor squirmed around until she could free her jaws.

"Why hasn't he visited me? Why is he just _standing_ there?"

Claire put her hands in her lap.

"Blue . . . the others don't want you here. They think you're going to sabotage us again."

Blue shook her head.

"You're lying!"

Claire looked away.

"I'm sorry, Blue."

She got to her feet slowly. Her knees were knocking.

"No . . . No . . ."

She tried to exit the barn, forgetting that her leg was tied to a peg in the wall.

"Let me go . . ." she pleaded.

Claire shook her head.

"I promised the others I would keep you tied up. They don't feel safe right now."

Blue tugged on the rope, extending her leg like a chicken.

"That's ridiculous! I'm their Beta!"

"You've been violent."

"That's what raptors are like."

"I don't think they want to be like raptors, then."

Blue stared at the floor bitterly. After a pause, she snarled and bit Claire's arm. Surprisingly, she was gentle, but it was enough to draw blood.

"You made them this way!" she hissed.

Claire grabbed her bleeding arm and backed away quickly.

"You idiot! I'm the only one here who's willing to help you, and you've left a visible wound on my arm. They're going to see it, and when they do, they'll hate you even more!"

"They don't hate me, and I certainly don't need _you_."

Claire's face was unreadable, but Blue didn't like the way she was looking at her. Finally, she shook her head, dropping her bleeding arm.

"You ungrateful bitch! I carry you out of a burning forest, convince Owen to let you recover here, buy you a goddamn bag of meat, which wasn't easy, by the way, since I haven't entered a civilized town for over a decade-"

Blue screeched.

"I HATE YOU! YOU STOLE OWEN!"

Claire kicked the tray over, spilling meat across the hay.

"Shut up. Owen will hear you," she said with venom.

"I _want_ him to hear me!"

She tilted her snout upwards and began calling out as loudly as her vocal cords would allow. Claire put her hands over her ears and booted the raptor. She stumbled, because the rope was still holding her back. When she had found her footing, she called again. Owen burst through the door, his brow creased in a deep frown. Blue grinned.

"Owen! Owen, you came back!"

He ignored her and marched over to Claire, who was turned away from him. He grabbed her injured arm before she could react. Grunting in pain, she tried to pull it away, but he was too strong. Owen lifted her limb forcefully, examined the wound, and looked at Blue. She didn't say anything. In a microsecond, he whipped around and stormed out the door. Claire followed. Blue couldn't see where Owen was headed, but she heard a creaky door open and close across the field. Claire was shouting. Blue perked up when she realized that Owen was coming back. She was sure he intended to free her.

But then she heard a deep click.

Owen reentered the barn with a rifle in his hands. Claire tugged on his clothing frantically, trying to drag him backwards, or at least delay him so that they could discuss the issue before jumping into action. He shrugged her off and took aim. Blue screeched and tried to flee, but she could only move so far with her leg tied to the wall. She darted back and forth, and Owen had no trouble following her with his gun. Claire was screaming now. He still wouldn't listen. It was over.

Understanding that she could not avoid the barrel's gaze, Blue stopped running. She backed up against the bags of wheat and lowered her head with tears in her eyes. Owen was unfazed. His finger tightened around the trigger.

 _BAM!_

Blue was shocked that she hadn't felt the bullet enter her, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Claire wrestling with Owen. She yanked the gun out of his hands and fired the remaining shots upwards, making holes in the roof. When she was sure that the rifle was empty, she tossed it to the side. Owen snatched up the weapon just as quickly with a tight jaw.

"There are more bullets in the house. This is happening."

Claire put her hands on his chest, pushing him back as he tried to walk away.

"Owen . . . Owen . . ."

"Move."

"I won't!"

"Claire, _move_!"

She shrieked as he elbowed her aside. When he reached for the door, she grabbed him and yanked him back. He thrashed around angrily.

"Claire-"

She slapped him. He stumbled backwards, dropping his gun. Claire stood petrified for a moment before putting her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my god . . ."

Owen touched his cheek with three fingers, then lumbered away, leaving his gun behind. Claire's eyes remained fixed on nothing in particular once he was gone. There was something dead in her gaze. Gradually, she slumped over and knelt in the hay, crying softly. When she finally crawled out of the barn, Blue felt sick to her stomach.

It was the first time she had experienced sympathy for Claire.

***TSJWFEW***

The next day, Claire entered the barn with red, puffy eyes. She dropped a bucket of meat by Blue, then marched away briskly. The raptor held out her paw.

"Wait!"

Claire stopped. She didn't turn around. Blue took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

Claire still didn't move.

"I've done a lot of bad things, but I'm ready to stop," she continued, "All I want is for Owen to be happy, and if he's happy with you, I'm okay with that."

Claire turned her head slightly.

"You don't mean that."

"I do, a little," Blue said quietly, "A part of me knew that I could never replace you, but I wanted to believe it was possible. Owen was the closest thing I had to . . . to a real relationship. He used to talk to me like I was a person, even though I was a pet. We liked each other. I think he was just as lonely as I was, back then. It was . . . I mean . . . He used to smile when there was no one else around. I thought it was because we were together, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was thinking of you all along. I guess I wanted him to love me because I knew that no one else would ever give me the time of day. He had higher standards than I expected, though."

Claire sighed and sat down beside her.

"I wouldn't say that. He married a stegoceratops."

Blue curled her tail towards her snout sadly.

"I was afraid of being alone. I mean, I had my sisters, but I wanted more. That's why I listened to the big raptor. I was positive that there were others like her . . . others like _me_. But when she told us what to do, Charlie-"

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Charlie had an accident. The big raptor didn't care about us. She only cared about herself. And then Owen showed me that he was still my friend . . . Claire, that meant the world to me. I knew I wouldn't be his Beta forever. I _knew_ it. But when he reached out and touched me, I wondered if he really did like me. That's when I started believing that we'd be together forever. I told myself that 'goodbye' was only temporary. I didn't realize that he would move on . . ."

Claire put her hand on Blue's neck.

"He didn't move on, really. A part of him stayed on that island with you."

"A very, very small part. A part he won't miss. He doesn't need it, because he has you."

Claire ran her thumb over Blue's scales.

"We'll find a place for you. We just need to wait for Owen to come around."

"That will never happen. He was ready to kill me, yesterday."

"But he didn't."

"Only because of you. You saved me. You . . . I mean . . . that was really . . . What did he _say_ after that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nothing. We haven't spoken since I-"

She shifted.

". . . you know."

Blue sighed.

"It figures that I only started to put stress on your relationship once I stopped interfering actively."

"Don't sell yourself short. You've _always_ put stress on our relationship."

Blue cocked her head.

"That was a joke, wasn't it?"

Claire nodded vacantly.

"Yeah."

Blue rubbed her chin.

"I'm almost healed. I could run away."

"And go where? Take it from me, it's hard for a dinosaur to stay out of sight. No, you have to live with us, or else go to Isla Nublar in the other world."

"I don't _want_ to go to the other world."

"Me neither, but . . ."

Claire exhaled.

"Look, it's not just you. Owen and I are having difficulties because I'm human."

"Is he not attracted to you?"

"He is, but not like before. He needs the dinosaur he married. And I need my body back, too. More than anything, I want to be a stegoceratops again, but the only person who can make that happen is Ellie, and we're not on good terms right now. I mean, she saved Lily, but I'm not sure she's ready to see me again."

She hugged her knees.

"Blue, I'm scared. For years, I've been avoiding that island. After everything I went through, I ended up shunning my friends and family again. The worst part is that Lily had a chance to fit in, to be part of a community that understands what she is, and I denied her that because of my own pride. I've ruined her life."

Blue nudged Claire's shoulder with her snout.

"You haven't. I've never seen a child love and admire their mother more than she does. Considering you spent your parental years in a new body, cut off from the rest of the world, I'd say you deserve to be called an excellent mother."

Claire blinked.

"Are you serious?"

Blue nodded.

"You're just a good person in general. It's amazing, really. You saved my life, even though you had no reason to. I'll never understand how you can be so kind to me after I did what I did."

Claire smiled.

"Well, it's not so much kindness as . . . guilt. I've done a lot of bad things in my life, and now I'm trying to atone for my past mistakes."

"Is it like that with Lily, too?"

Claire shook her head.

"When I'm around Lily, I don't think of myself at all. I'd do anything to keep her safe."

"I wish someone felt that way about me."

"Maybe someone will, someday."

She stood up.

"In the meantime, we need to work on reintegrating you. One way or another, we'll make the others see your value."


	100. The Solution

The next morning, Claire brought Blue into the house on a leash. Her snout was strapped shut with a crude muzzle. It was hard to imagine a more pitiful sight. The family was having breakfast, but the raptor's arrival prompted everyone to lay down their spoons and hush up. Claire forced a smile.

"Hello, everyone. Blue is feeling much better now."

Owen lifted his eyebrows.

"Good. We can send her into the woods."

Claire's mouth hung open in an uncomfortable smile for a moment before she spoke.

" _Actually_ , I was thinking she could live in the house."

Owen pointed to her arms.

"Her claws aren't bound. She'll maul us."

"We can put plastic tabs on them or something."

"She'll kick us, then."

"I'll cuff her ankles . . . and arms, if that's an issue."

"What about her tail? It's strong enough to break bones."

"We'll tie pillows to it."

"She'll shake them off."

"We'll make a brace."

"I don't want you fiddling with our supplies."

"It won't take much to build one."

"Don't waste your time on this shit. It's easier to send her away."

"That's not what I want."

"Too bad. We can't keep a wild animal in the house."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Owen, she can _hear_ you!"

"Let her hear me. It doesn't change a thing."

"You'll hurt her feelings."

"She doesn't have any."

"She does! She's wearing a piece of leather on her face just to make you happy, so the least you could do is show a little respect!"

"She's doesn't deserve it."

"Owen!"

"She's an animal."

"You can't-"

"Claire, you're being ridiculous."

Lily tugged on his sleeve. He turned.

"Daddy, no . . ." she whispered.

He looked into her pleading eyes. Then, he sighed and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

"Claire, I don't want her in the house. In fact, I don't want her anywhere near us. If you want to be charitable, you can lend her the tools she needs to live in the wild. That's all. I want her gone by tomorrow."

"But-"

"Either she leaves our family in peace, or she stays as a bloodstain on the barn floor. Your choice."

Although Blue's face was bound, her eyes radiated all the sorrow her face was unable to show. When tears began to brim in her eyes, Claire put her hand over her snout and led her out of the house.

"We're going to take a moment to think things through. See you later."

They stumbled out the front door. As soon as Claire removed the muzzle, Blue collapsed and sobbed into the grass. Claire knelt beside her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't let him get to you. This was only our first try. Tomorrow, we can-"

"No!" Blue shrieked, "There won't _be_ a tomorrow, because he's going to kill me! He'll _never_ forgive me, not in a million years!"

Claire hugged her neck.

"Don't say that, Blue. We can't give up hope. I promised to help you, and that's what I'm going to do."

The raptor shook her head briskly.

"I can't stay here one more minute! It's too late for me, and if I don't leave soon, Owen will be mad at you too."

Claire laughed quietly.

"Blue, he can get mad all he wants, but that won't change the fact that he loves me. If you knew how many times we've fought, you'd realize that disagreements aren't enough to tear us apart."

Blue sniffed.

"He hates me."

"No, he doesn't. He's just a little shaken up after that . . . misadventure. He'll change his mind. You'll see."

"What am I gonna do?"

Claire gave a determined nod.

"You're going to wait in the barn until I come up with a better plan."

***TSJWFEW***

Unfortunately, Claire made the mistake of sleeping in the next day. She only realized that Owen intended to follow through with his promise when she heard gunshots. Panicked, she flung on her robe (which was now far too large for her) and sprinted across the front lawn.

"OWEN!"

He shot again.

"OWEN!"

"Relax, I'm only scaring her away," he said, "She snuck into the barn last night."

Claire tried to grab his gun.

"I _told_ her to!"

Owen frowned.

"You disobeyed me."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Owen, you can't tell me what to do. You have to trust me."

"Why?"

She put her hands on his cheeks and pulled his face forward. He dropped the gun when their lips met. As she slipped her tongue into his mouth, his arms constricted around her. She gave him enough time to take in the gesture, then pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Because you love me."

He blinked.

"What?"

"That's my answer: because you love me."

Owen hummed.

"I kind of forgot the question."

Claire burst out laughing. She fell against Owen's chest.

"You okay?" he asked.

Claire nodded. She was crying and smiling and shaking all at once. Owen frowned and felt her forehead.

"I'm not sick!" she giggled.

He narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong, then?"

She pressed her cheek against his neck.

"Owen, I have to change back."

"What?"

"I'm going to Isla Nublar. Ellie can fix this."

"What does this have to do with Blue?"

"You've been on edge, recently . . ."

"Yeah, so?"

"This whole escapade has forced us to do bad things. I'm a murderer, you're depressed, Blue-"

"Blue was messed up _before_ we were put in extreme circumstances."

"That's not what you said when you invited her into our house . . ."

"I was giving her a chance to learn our ways. She blew it."

Claire shook her head.

"She's a raptor, Owen. You can't expect her to fit in right away."

"The others did."

"Without her, they wouldn't even _be_ here."

Owen shook his head.

"I don't understand why you're on her side, all of a sudden. She didn't do anything to earn your sympathy. As a matter of fact, she tried to kill you."

Claire glanced at the raptor from the corner of her eye. She was standing as still as a statue.

"Owen, there was a time when I treated you like garbage. I told you to get lost, but you couldn't take a hint. After our first date, you devoted your time and energy to begging me for a second chance."

"Yeah, but I wasn't as destructive as Blue."

"You kind of were."

"I never tried to murder the competition."

"You stared at me whenever I talked to male employees."

Owen scoffed.

"So what? You and I were meant to be together."

"Maybe Blue was meant to be your friend."

Owen shook his head slowly.

"You can't both stay here. She has to go."

"Why?"

"She'll ruin everything."

"Owen, there is not a person alive who could change our feelings for each other."

"True, but that doesn't mean she won't have an effect on our family. We have two children to look after, Claire."

"I know. We can handle it."

"Really? It seems to me like you're spending way too much time with Blue instead of focusing on the people that matter."

"That's not-"

"Charlie's been having nightmares, Claire. She feels guilty about killing those men from ACU. She hasn't told a single soul until now. Tell me, why would she spend eighteen years bottling up these emotions if Blue was trustworthy?"

Claire gulped.

"They've been living like raptors, Owen. All they wanted was to be with you, and now that that's possible, their other problems are resurfacing."

"That's not an excuse."

"Owen . . ."

"You're wrong, Claire. I've known Blue her entire life. She's intelligent, and she shows human emotions every now and then, but she's an animal, and that's not about to change."

Claire did not turn her head, but she could see Blue dragging herself back to the barn.

"Owen, please don't do this."

"It's for the best."

"There has to be another way."

"If there is, it would be a waste of time to think it through."

Claire's lip quivered. She sniffled, and Owen's face fell.

"Oh no . . ."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Owen gulped and stroked the back of her head.

"Claire, don't cry . . ."

She wiped her nose on her sleeve and hiccupped.

"We can't do this alone."

"Claire-"

"We need Ellie."

"But she-"

"I need to be a stegoceratops, Owen!" Claire sobbed, "I feel repulsive. All I want is to hold you in my big, green arms and know that everything is okay. I miss my horns, I miss my tail, and I miss the way things were when I was a dinosaur. I know it won't fix everything, but I'd feel so much better if I could be myself again."

Owen took a deep breath.

"Okay. We'll go to Isla Nublar. It might be a good idea to invite Lily, too. I imagine she'll want to see Liam."

"Charlie and Echo should visit Delta, too. Would you feel comfortable leaving Blue behind?"

Owen nodded.

"If you think it's safe, I trust you."


	101. Isla Nublar

Claire was experiencing the sensation of butterflies in her stomach. It had been ages since she'd stepped foot on Isla Nublar with the intent to stay longer than five minutes, and for this reason, she felt like a stranger to everyone around her. It was kind of surreal to see just how much had changed since she'd been gone. The island was more diverse, and it wasn't just because of the raptors. Theropods of all shapes and sizes were running around, and some species were unlike anything Claire had ever seen. It was a little frightening, honestly. Charlie and Echo seemed to be having a very different reaction.

"Whoa . . . Look at all the raptors . . ."

"I've never seen so many of us running around. It's almost like we . . . fit in."

They hid behind Claire as a large dinosaur with a frill came lumbering by. He was carrying a bag of maps.

"This is strange," Owen muttered, "I've never seen dinosaurs like this before."

Lily tugged on his sleeve.

"Where's Liam?"

Claire smiled and patted her shoulder.

"We'll find him, sweetie. Be patient."

They passed a garage, where two spinosaurs were sitting next to each other. One of them had his mouth tied shut. The other caught sight of the group and waved.

"No need to worry," he called out, "He'll change his mind. I know, because it's happened before."

Claire gave him an uncertain smile. She had no idea what he was talking about. Before she could think it over, a flock of about thirty young raptors thundered by. They leapt into the trees and started performing gymnastics.

"Okay . . ." Owen hummed, "I didn't see _that_ coming . . ."

They moved down the path until they came across a dragon who was buying chocolate from a snack stand. She was wearing a neck brace. Claire's eyes went wide.

"Elkay!"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out . . . Actually, it's not my real name . . ."

"We thought you were dead!" Claire marveled.

The dragon gave her a sardonic frown.

"You know, people can survive broken necks. The same goes for dragons, only we don't break them in the traditional sense. What, did you really think I'd just let myself _die_ like that? I mean, that would be a _terrible_ idea! Who would allow a respected icon to be insultingly killed off in a display of dominance involving a threat that nobody cares about? That would be the dumbest thing ever."

Claire nodded.

"Alright. Point taken. Have you seen Ellie around?"

Elkay shook her head as quickly as the brace would allow.

"I hardly ever see her anymore. No one does. She spends her time locked up in the Visitors' Center Palace. I only contact her when it's an emergency, because I'm a bad influence."

"Will I be able to meet with her?"

"I imagine so," she replied as she picked her ear idly, "But you'll have to talk to her secretaries or whatever."

Claire nodded.

"Thank you. Get well soon."

"Don't ever make me fight a giant dinosaur again, okay?"

"Okay."

Claire continued down the road. Owen looked around, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Are we going the right way?"

Claire shrugged.

"I think so, but I can't be one hundred percent sure. I don't recognize most of these buildings. They must be new."

She leapt back as a colorful animal tumbled out of the underbrush. It had flappy arm-wings and a crest. It turned its toothy beak-face towards Claire, and she saw a big, pink tongue hanging out of the corner of its mouth. She smiled.

"Hello, there."

He didn't reply. Claire blinked.

"Do you talk? . . ."

Suddenly, it opened its beak and screamed very loudly. Claire gasped.

"Oh, Jesus!"

A very familiar dinosaur jogged out of the woods and picked up the screaming child.

"I'm so sorry! He ran off and I didn't know where to look for him. You didn't do anything wrong: he screams at everyone-"

When he realized who he was talking to, his jaw dropped.

"Owen? . . . _CLAIRE_?!"

"Vic!" she beamed.

She gave him a hug. The animal he was holding pecked her on the head.

"Ow . . ."

Vic winced.

"Sorry. Don is special. We have a hard time getting him to understand what's appropriate . . ."

Claire cocked her head.

"Don? . . . Oh, _Don_! This is your kid, isn't it?"

"One of them," Vic stated proudly, "Monica is at swimming lessons. It's hard to get her to exercise because of her wheels . . ."

He shook his head.

"Why am I talking about myself? How have _you_ been?"

Claire sighed.

"Well, I'm human again."

"Is that . . . bad?"

Claire looked back at Lily.

"I want things to get back to the way they were. I'm going to speak with Ellie."

Vic's eyes went wide.

"Really? Well, if you're serious, you ought to find Vivian."

"Vivian?"

"Mhm. Once you left, she sort of took over your job."

Claire's lip twitched.

"Did she?"

"Yup. I can bring you to her, if you want."

Claire smiled.

"That would be great. Thanks, Vic!"

"No problem. Follow me."

He led them down another path. Don peeked over his father's shoulder, staring at Claire with crossed eyes. She smiled at him, and he sneezed.

As they crossed the island, random dinosaurs turned to stare at them. Slowly, they began to follow the procession, hanging behind them like obvious stalkers. Claire ignored it at first, but the crowd grew very, very large in a matter of minutes. It was almost as if they had been waiting for her to return, but that couldn't be the case, could it? How would they even _know_ who she was? More importantly, why should they _care_?

Finally, Vic brought them to a construction site, where a hybrid hadrosaur was giving workers directions. She noticed the crowd and marched up to them with a furrowed brow.

"What the . . ."

Claire stepped forward.

"Hello, Vivian. I'm here to see Ellie."

"Why?"

Claire picked at her nails.

"Well . . . I want to be a stegoceratops again."

There was a series of murmurs in the crowd behind her. She resisted the urge to turn around.

"I might be able to contact her," Vivian said sharply, "But why have you decided to come back _now_?"

Claire took a deep breath.

"I want to set things right."

Vivian frowned.

"Really? That's not what you said when you ignored my wedding invitation."

Claire looked down at her shoes.

"I'm sorry, Vivian. There's no excuse for what I did."

"I have a daughter, you know."

Claire did a double-take.

"What? Really?"

"Yes, and before you ask: no, she wasn't adopted, and we don't know how it's possible."

Claire nodded weakly.

"Congratulations."

Vivian turned around.

"I'll ask Ellie if she's in the mood to see you, but somehow, I don't think she'll say 'yes'."

She trotted down the path with her snout in the air. Claire looked around uncertainly.

"Do you want us to wait here?"

"Yeah, unless you feel like leaving again!" Vivian called over her shoulder.

When she was far down the road, Claire turned to the crowd. They were staring at her with curious eyes. Lily, Owen, and the two raptors were looking very uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" Claire muttered, "Why are all of you following us?"

A gallimimus stepped forward.

"Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but my daughter is a huge fan, and it would mean the world to her if you could give me your autograph."

Claire blinked.

"Fan?"

A dilophosaur pushed through the crowd.

"Your stories are inspirational. There's not a day that goes by where I forget the things you've done. I started a bakery because of you."

Claire's mouth was agape.

"I . . . But I haven't _done_ anything."

"You fought a spinosaurus," a coelophysis said.

"You stood up to a giant hound," a compsognathus added.

"You raised a child," a raptor declared, "And that's one of the hardest things in the world."

Claire looked back at Owen and the rest of her family. They gave her encouraging smiles. She laced her fingers together.

"I'm just a woman. I'm not even particularly important. Why are you so interested in me?"

"We've heard your story," a young oviraptor explained, "Even though we never traveled with you, you brought us to wonderful places, shared your experiences, taught us lessons . . ."

Claire batted her eyes.

"Are you talking about that book thing Ellie was making? I thought that ended years ago."

"It did, but we've been waiting for a new story. Do you plan to have more adventures?"

Claire rubbed her arm.

"I . . . I don't know. I kind of just got back from one."

"Was anyone narrating?" a strange-looking dinosaur asked, "Are we going to hear what happened?"

"I don't know," Claire replied, "I never really had a say in this whole thing. It wasn't my choice to be a part of this story."

A small, fluffy dinosaur tugged on her skirt.

"If Ellie chooses to tell us what happened, will you let her?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Claire could see Owen smiling at her. He put his arms around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Well, _I'm_ not going to stop anyone from hearing our story," he affirmed, "If it's really as important as you say, maybe it's a good thing we were dragged into it. As a matter of fact, I don't think I ever would have ended up married to Claire without divine intervention."

Claire nodded slowly.

"I don't think I've done anything particularly heroic, but if you really want autographs and stuff-"

"Vivian's back!"

A small raptor in the crowd pointed to the beige dinosaur, who was even scowlier than before. She marched up to Claire and snorted.

"You're lucky Ellie isn't busy right now. She'll see you, but _only_ you. Your friends can wait in Raptor Valley. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of meeting Owen."

Claire bit her lip. Owen smiled and gave her a nod of encouragement.

"Go ahead, Claire."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright, Vivian. I'm ready."


	102. Conference

Claire followed Vivian into the Visitors' Center Palace. It was just how she remembered it, but there were a few new tapestries hanging on the walls, and the red carpet had been replaced. The bitter dinosaur led her through hallways made of veined marble, up massive staircases with gilded banisters, across a bridge that gave them a view of the sun setting over the shimmering sea, and into a tower, where they climbed up to a very important-looking door. Vivian slowed to a stop and held out one of her feet in a sarcastic gesture.

"Go ahead. Have your earth-shatteringly important conversation. I'm sure you deserve this council."

Claire swallowed nervously.

"I . . . I don't know if . . . I mean, it's just a little intimidating . . ."

"I swear to god, if you bail on this-"

Claire shook her head.

"No, Vivian. I wouldn't do that to you. I know you didn't want to arrange this, and I don't blame you for that. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did."

She sneered.

"Yeah? Well _I'm_ the boss now. That's the way it goes."

"Vivian . . . I never meant to hurt you. I was angry because you continued to work for Ellie after what she did to me."

"I can't give up my job on your behalf!"

"I know, I know," Claire insisted, "My quarrel had nothing to do with you. I guess I just thought you'd . . . defend me."

"Like you needed my help!" Vivian snuffed.

"I did," Claire whispered, "When powerful people turn on you, all that's left are your friends. Everyone else is too disconnected from your troubles to care about what's right and what's wrong. They listen to what their leader says, because it's risky to trust the word of a nobody like me."

Vivian's face softened.

"Well . . . that's not entirely true. You're not a nobody. You may have been the most important person to ever work here. You're missed on Isla Nublar, Claire. There are those who believe you betrayed us, but . . ."

She lowered her voice.

"Anyone with half a brain knows that Ellie has done some very questionable things. You may believe I'm a coward for staying here-"

"I don't."

"Well, even if you did, it's not like I had an easy time making that decision. When you stepped down- or were fired- I saw it as an opportunity to advance my ranking. I knew it would come at the price of our friendship. I told myself that it was worth it. I made excuses for Ellie. By the time I realized that I'd chosen the coward's way out, it was too late. Our friendship was damaged beyond repair. All I could do was hold onto the life I'd chosen."

Claire gave a half-smile.

"Our friendship wasn't destroyed, Vivian. I know you were afraid to lose your job, but if you had changed your mind and told me how you feel, I would have accepted you. Your value here may be measured by your rank, but your real worth is reflected in the eyes of your friends."

Vivian nodded.

"I wish I had known that sooner. You weren't always the most sympathetic person, Claire, but you changed this island for the better. Your contributions will be missed, I can tell you that much. It's been kind of shitty here without you."

Claire laughed weakly.

"Well, I don't know about _that_ . . ."

"It's true," Vivian affirmed, "You haven't been around, so you don't know. Isla Nublar is a good place for our community to blossom, but the leadership . . ."

Vivian bit her lip as if she was deciding whether or not she should continue. She took a deep breath and sat down, wrapping her tail around her legs.

"Claire . . . I shouldn't be telling you this, but Ellie tried to slander your name."

"What?"

"She told everyone that you were a traitor, that you were trying to take over the island . . . stuff like that. I guess she thought that if they knew the truth, she'd look like the villain."

Claire put her hand over her mouth.

"Oh, god . . . Is that all?"

"No. She brought up . . . She brought up the incident with the stegoceratops colony."

Tears brimmed in Claire's eyes.

"For eighteen years, I've been trying to make amends for that!"

"I know, but she doesn't care. It's a smudge on your history, and she'll do anything she can to amplify it, if it makes her look better by comparison."

Claire closed her eyes.

"So, everyone thinks I'm a bad person?"

Vivian shook her head.

"No. The funny thing is, you were saved by the very story that started this whole mess. Everything you've done is recorded on paper, and that's more permanent than Ellie's lies. No matter how much she tries to make you look bad, the truth is preserved here."

"Here?"

"In the story."

Claire nodded.

"I guess that explains why those people followed me here . . . but how many Nublarians know the truth?"

"Not many. A lot are afraid to believe it. But . . ."

She smiled.

". . . I've earned the trust of several people on this island. I think I can help clear your name, one step at a time."

Claire nodded.

"One step at a time."

Vivian smiled and tilted her head towards the door.

"Don't let me delay your visit. She's waiting for you."

Claire smiled.

"Thanks Vivian . . ."

"No problem. Remember, Claire, the truth will always come out, one way or another."

"As long as you have friends."

She winked.

"And you do."

Claire turned to the door. It was heavier than she expected. When it closed behind her, there was absolute silence. She was at the end of a long hall, one lined with stained glass windows. She stepped across the fragmented rainbows that shattered the red carpet. The Sun was sinking into the Earth, it seemed. But that didn't matter. The world would go on turning. There was no use in trying to change that. The only thing Claire had a hope of controlling was what would happen when she went through the second door.

She gathered up all of her courage and did just that.

Ellie was sitting at a desk near an open window on the opposite side of the room. She was writing on a piece of parchment with a white feather. When Claire closed the door behind her, she did not react. She spoke without giving her so much as a nod.

"You're back."

"I am."

"I know what you're here for."

"I thought you would."

Ellie didn't answer. Claire took a deep breath.

"Lily told me you saved her. Thank you."

"I had already saved her once that night. It was no trouble at all."

Claire nodded.

"How's Liam?"

"Grounded. He won't be allowed to see Lily."

"For how long?"

"A week. Maybe more."

She let go of the quill, and it continued to write without her guidance. Claire stepped closer to the desk as Ellie leaned back in her chair.

"I heard what Vivian said about me."

Claire's heart jumped.

"Are you going to fire her?"

"No. She was telling the truth. If you punish someone for doing that, odds are you're on the wrong side of the argument."

Claire took a deep breath.

"Yes. You know why I'm here."

"I do. Honestly, I could grant your wish right now, but then you would have to leave, and I don't want that. I thought we might be able to talk about what happened."

She pulled two glowing strings out of her pocket. She tossed one out the window. It flew out of sight. The other, she held out for Claire.

"I took this from you. I know it doesn't make things right, but I want you to have it back. The other one will find its way to Owen."

Claire's jaw dropped.

"Is it the memory?"

Ellie nodded. Claire prodded the filament when it dropped in her palm. It squirmed around, and she bit her lip.

"How is this possible? You destroyed them."

Ellie shrugged.

"Well, I'm also God, so it's no big deal to retrieve things like that."

The string dug its way into Claire's skin, and soon, she could remember what had happened on Tall Mountain. She was glad she did, only the memory was causing tears to prick at her eyes. Or maybe she was just grateful to have it back.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. That's like thanking a thief for returning your money."

"No, thank you for everything. You've done countless deeds to support my family, some of which I'm probably not aware of."

"I've also put you through a lot of pain."

"It was worth it. Really, it was. Don't tell me that's not true, because it is."

"But I didn't have to."

"What's done is done," Claire affirmed, "I wouldn't change a thing, if I could. I'm happy. I love my family, I love my friends, and I love my life. All I need now is my old body."

Ellie nodded.

"If I change you, will you leave forever?"

"No. I'm not just here for the favor. It would be nice for things to get back to normal, but changing me into a dinosaur isn't the only way to make that happen. I think the real reason I came here was to make sure that you're okay, because even though you made a series of huge mistakes, you're still my friend."

"And the only reason I haven't changed you yet is because I'm having a hard time finding an appropriate way to apologize."

Claire smiled.

"You don't need to say you're sorry. If you can't find the right words, your actions will suffice."

Ellie nodded. She lifted her hand, and Claire began to glow. Her feet lifted off of the carpet, and she started spinning. As she did, Owen burst through the door.

"Change me too! Change me too! Change me too!"

He jumped up and grabbed Claire, and Ellie held her head in pain.

"Ah! Stop it! I already said no!"

"That was years ago!" Owen protested, "Change me! Change me now!"

"FINE!"

Ellie snapped her fingers, and suddenly, two stegoceratopses landed on the carpet with a heavy _whump_. Claire writhed around in panic as she tried to avoid being suffocated by a rather large rump.

"Owen!"

He rolled off of her.

"Sorry!"

She shook her plates and stamped her foot.

"What the hell are you _doing_?"

He tapped his front feet together nervously.

"Well, I got my memory back, so I figured things were going well, and I came back to see if she'd-"

Claire shook him.

"WHY! ARE! YOU! A! STEGOCERATOPS!"

He whimpered.

"I thought this was what you wanted."

"I want our family to be the way it was!"

His beak quivered.

"I just don't want you to be alone."

Claire let go of him. She took a deep breath and rubbed her frill.

"Owen, I'm not alone. You've always been there for me, and being a stegoceratops won't make you a better husband."

"It won't?"

"No. Ask Ellie to change you back."

Owen hobbled forward and held her cheek.

"Are you sure? I can stay like this. I don't mind."

Claire touched her front horn to his.

"I'm sure."

Owen turned to Ellie.

"Alright. Change me back."

She crossed her arms.

"Look, why don't I make this easy for you? I'll allow you two . . . and Lily . . . to change back and forth. How's that?"

Claire and Owen gaped at her.

"Really?" they chorused.

Ellie nodded.

"Yeah. You've earned it. Don't tell anyone else, though. I can't be handing out free favors to every hybrid on this island."

She snapped her fingers. Owen's crimson scales melted away, and he shrunk down to his usual size. Claire gave him a hug.

"I'm so happy . . ."

Ellie smiled.

"I know the feeling. The same thing literally happened to me decades ago."

Claire raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Mhm. I can only hope that I'm not being as dickish as the last Queen."

Claire laughed awkwardly.

"Well . . . That's one way to put it."

Ellie nodded.

"I expect things to change from now on. Change is good. People have to evolve. That's what makes the world go 'round."

Claire smiled. Ellie nodded to the window.

"What are you still doing here? Go surprise Lily. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of seeing two stegoceratopses appear from out of nowhere."

Claire grinned.

"I'm ready to scare the living daylights out of her. Owen?"

He changed.

"Ready."

They leapt out the window, fluttering their plates like ladybugs. Ellie watched them leave, then turned back to the manuscript. No one in the history of the universe had ever looked so happy to dot a closing sentence.


	103. Owen Sings The Blues

Claire and her family returned to the ranch with gleeful smiles. After signing various objects (not just photos, but a whole array of merchandise), they felt like superstars. Charlie even got to scribble her name on a shoe, although she wasn't quite sure how to spell it, so she ended up writing "cgarrL33". They trotted through the portal machine (Ellie had restored the magic bubble around their house as well), hopping playfully across the lawn while swapping stories about their interactions with the Nublarians. Owen was covered in stegoceratops silk, because he had been playing with his new tail. Claire promised him that they would learn how to make a decent web someday. Charlie asked if she could too, not realizing that her biology did not allow for such things. Lily offered to tie a string to her tail as an experiment, so they rushed up to her room as soon as they entered the house. Echo lay down on the hide-a-bed, exhausted from the attention she had received on Isla Nublar. Claire tucked her in, but when she lumbered over to the bottom of the stairs, she paused.

"Shit. I almost forgot about Blue."

Owen shrugged.

"Well, she didn't burn the house down, so . . ."

"I ought to check up on her. We were gone for longer than we anticipated."

"I'm sure she's fine."

"I'll say goodnight to her, at least."

Owen pouted. Claire gave him a sardonic look.

"Don't worry. I'll be right back."

She stepped out the front door. When she hopped down from the deck to the lawn, she paused for a moment. It felt good to stand on familiar ground with familiar feet. As a tiny celebration, she ripped up a clump of grass and chewed it on her way to the barn. When she opened the door, she noticed that the heater was turned off. She frowned in puzzlement and switched on a lamp that was hanging from a hook on the wall.

"Blue?"

The raptor was lying on her side. Claire thought she might be sleeping, but her breathing was irregular. She rushed over and felt her forehead.

"Blue, what's wrong?"

The raptor's throat wobbled.

"Can people die of a broken heart?"

Claire shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"Maybe a raptor can . . ."

Claire frowned as Blue spoke. She pried her mouth open with the tip of her tail.

"What's that on your tongue? It's all blue . . ."

"Don't worry about that."

"What did you do?"

"It's too late. I can't throw up. I've never been able to . . ."

Claire picked her up.

"We need to get you into the house. Owen will-"

"Please, no! I can't bear to see him again!"

"You have to! You'll die!"

"I know. There's nothing you can do to change that. I'm done for."

Claire shook her head.

"Blue . . ."

"Don't blame yourself. You did everything you could, but I can't be saved. I'd rather just die in peace."

Claire gave a sad rumble and sat down beside her. Blue let her head fall to the floor. It was obvious that she was in pain.

"Blue . . . what can I do for you?"

The raptor did not reply, but Claire could see in her eyes that the thing she wanted most was to be surrounded by her pack. Claire stood up and headed for the door.

"Don't! . . ." Blue called, "It'll ruin their day!"

Claire shook her head.

"I know you don't think you deserve this, but I don't want you to die alone. I'm making this decision for you. They won't mind."

She left. Blue gulped and stared at the door. She was having trouble lifting her head. By the time Claire returned, she could barely move.

"Blue?"

"I haven't died yet."

"Okay. Just hang on."

When the others didn't show up right away, she assumed that Claire had had no luck convincing them to come, but one by one, they entered the barn. Charlie rushed over to Blue as fast as she could and nuzzled her shoulder.

"Don't die, Blue! I was lying when I said I wanted you to leave! I didn't mean it, I swear! Without you, I would have died!"

Blue shook her head.

"With me, you _did_ die. You never needed me, Charlie. I'm sure you'll do great things once I'm gone."

Charlie sniffled and lay behind her. Echo stepped forward and gave her a gentle nudge.

"Hey. Thanks for getting us this far. I'll tell Delta you said hi, when I see her."

"I hope you have a good life, Echo."

Lily circled the three of them and stroked Blue's back.

"I'm sorry I hit you with my tail."

"That's okay. You were just protecting your mother."

Lily and Claire nestled into the hay, circling their tails around the others. Owen stared down at Blue in silence, and for a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't move. Then, he crouched down and pulled her up against his chest. He held her under his chin, rocking her back and forth slowly. He closed his eyes, and tears fell on her neck.

"Owen . . ."

"I don't hate you, Blue."

Her eye flicked backwards to examine his face. He gulped, closed his eyes, and pulled her closer.

"I don't hate you . . ."

She took a deep breath and let herself go limp. He laced his fingers through her claws and leaned back against Claire. Everyone else moved in to keep her warm.

No one knew how long it took for her to die. It felt like an hour, because most of their goodbye was spent staring at the ailing raptor, waiting for the inevitable. It was actually around eight minutes. Blue did not speak in that time. No one did. They had many things to say, of course, but somehow, vocalizing their thoughts seemed like a rude act during the almost sacred silence. In any case, Blue knew what they were thinking. Claire wanted to say that she was sorry, and even though they hadn't always gotten along, she would have liked to be her friend. Lily would have said something similar, perhaps a bit less gently, because she was too young to understand the purpose of etiquette in such situations. Charlie would have the most to say. She'd go on and on about how Blue had rescued her when she was a child, for they had been traveling together for years, and her borrowed body was very young when Blue found her. Echo would congratulate her on her bravery or some such, only she would do it in a way that was also derogatory, because she was too proud to give direct praise. Had Delta been around, she might have thanked Blue for bringing her to Barry, and Barry would have thanked her for bringing Delta to him. He might even make a passing joke about her poor dental hygiene, because he would want her to feel a little less glum in such a dismal situation. And Owen . . . Well, she knew exactly what he would say. She could see it in his eyes, even now. He loved her. He loved her from the moment she was born. She remembered when he first picked her up, cradling her like a human baby. Claire was there, too. She hadn't come close, but Blue remembered her face. Had she reached out for her? She had, hadn't she! Until now, she didn't want to admit it, but Baby Blue had made a conscious effort to reach out for the woman with red hair. She didn't recall why. Did she want a mother? Perhaps. Maybe she sensed that Owen and Claire were meant to be a couple. Yes, that sounded right. Although she knew Owen could never love her like he loved his wife, it didn't matter. All she wanted was for him to be happy, and now he was, because he had Claire. Blue was the one who brought them together. That was why she could never interfere with their relationship: she was the person who united them in the first place. She had played a key role in improving Owen's life. That made her feel better.

So she closed her eyes and took in the presence of the people who had come to share her last moments. They were her sisters, her packmates, her friends, her alphas, her parents . . . She loved them, and they loved her too. Owen loved her enough to cry, and he cried very, very infrequently. Hopefully, he wouldn't be sad for too long.

They waited and waited and waited, and when Blue had taken her final breath, they waited some more. No one wanted to leave her, even though they knew she was gone. Her body wasn't suited for death, because she seemed too ferocious to stop living. Although it was a ridiculous notion, they believed she would stare Death in the face and challenge it to a fight, which she would win, of course. Claire was the only one who knew that she had done quite the opposite. Blue _wanted_ to die, and she had let herself be taken willingly. But no one else could know. That's why Claire hid the torn bag of rat poison when everyone else had exited the barn.

The next day, they buried Blue in the field. Owen carried her wrapped body to the grave the two raptors had dug for their sister, crying all the way. When the hole was filled, Charlie placed the squished snake they had planted to frighten Claire on the top layer of dirt. No one knew why she did it, and it was unclear whether she had any motivation at all. Owen guessed that she had nothing else to offer, so she had to settle on a reminder of her loyalty, flattened as it was.

Surprisingly, it was Owen, Claire, and Lily who stayed at her grave the longest. They sat quietly in front of the fresh dirt, watching the shadow of their marker stick shrink until it disappeared altogether. Then, perhaps by instinct, they stood up all at once. Owen changed into a stegoceratops. The three of them pressed their tails together, then stuck a three-stranded web on the pole. Each filament blew in the breeze, entwining until there appeared to only be one.

They made their way back to the house slowly. Lily thought she saw a raptor smiling at them from a distance, but when she turned to look, there was no one there.


	104. Claire The Mother

"HA! BUSTED!"

Owen frowned and slid his ship token to the jail square.

"No need to gloat, Lily. You don't have a clean record either. Echo, can you bail me out?"

"Sorry, no. I'm saving up for new property."

Echo took the dice and rolled. She moved her thimble to Vermont Avenue.

"I'm not buying."

Of course, everyone knew that Vermont Avenue was Charlie's favorite, so they reserved it for her every game. Claire gave Echo a gentle smile and took her turn. When she had placed her wheelbarrow, she gave a loud whoop.

"Yeah! Tennessee! What do you think of _that_?"

"You'll have to buy a ranch," Charlie beamed as she fiddled with her horse piece.

"I just hope you won't start charging us for hanging around," Echo mumbled.

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Man, this game is going to go on forever. Nobody wins if you play it the nice way."

Claire smiled and licked his cheek.

"That's fine. I like playing the nice way. It's family time."

There was a ping, and a red light began to blink near the door. Echo perked up immediately.

"Do you think it's my mouse toy?"

Owen stood up, taking care not to jostle the table.

"Only one way to find out."

He opened the door and jogged over to the mailbox. When he came back, he was holding a letter.

"Charlie . . ."

She covered her mouth.

"Oh god. It's my LSAT score, isn't it?"

Owen nodded. He held it out for her, and she shrunk away.

"You open it. I'm too nervous," she churred.

He shook his head.

"This is _your_ letter, Peanut. You have to open it yourself."

She plucked it from his hand with two claws, like it was radioactive. As she tore the top, she held the envelope as far away from her face as possible. No one was breathing. When she unfolded the letter, they leaned forward. Her eyes darted back and forth, and she grinned widely.

"ONE SEVENTY EIGHT!"

Claire, Lily, and Echo screamed shrilly, bouncing up and down while hugging each other in turns. Owen gave Charlie a friendly punch, ruffling her nonexistent hair.

"I knew it! You're gonna be the best lawyer ever, Charlie! And nobody's gonna mess with a raptor, I can tell you _that_ much!"

She purred.

"Thanks, Dad, but I'm not a lawyer yet. I don't even know if I'm going to get into Harvard. In a way, I hope I don't, because I don't want to be away from you for so long . . ."

Claire smiled.

"Don't be ridiculous, Charlie. Even if you're in another world, we're right next door. Just give us a call, and we'll be there for you."

Lily reared up on her hind legs suddenly.

"Oh my gosh! We have to tell Delta! Let's go to Isla Nublar!"

Claire quirked a brow.

"Isn't today the end of Liam's punishment?"

Lily pursed her lips.

"Hm? Is it? Well, I wouldn't know, but if you want me to check up on him . . ."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Lily, don't get carried away."

She waved her hand vaguely.

"Well, we're going there to see Delta, you know, because that's what's important, but I don't see anything wrong with saying hi to Liam, considering we went on an adventure and all that . . ."

Claire chuckled.

"Okay, Lilyboo, we can put this game on pause. Just make sure you greet Delta before running off on your little escapade."

Lily squealed with glee and ran out the door. Echo rubbed her forehead with exhaustion.

"Thank god I'm asexual."

***TSJWFEW***

On Isla Nublar, Charlie ran up to a now fully human Delta with her arms spread.

"I passed! I passed! I passed!"

Delta squealed and gave her a hug, which was made awkward by her parturient form. She smiled and put her hand on her belly as she backed up.

"Charlie, baby, I knew you could do it! Of all the members of our squad, you had the most promise. Congratulations."

Charlie beamed proudly.

"Thanks, Delta. It really means a lot to me. I want to make my family proud."

She rubbed noses with her.

"You have, darling, you have. Owen's lucky to have you."

Right on cue, he ran forward and scooped Charlie up.

"I certainly am!"

She screamed with glee as he carried her over to the pool. They fell in, clothing and all, and splashed Claire, who was basking in the sun. She sputtered and went rigid, arching her back like a cat.

"CHRIST!"

Delta rolled her eyes and waddled over to where Barry was sitting. Nearby, Zara began to cackle, rolling over like a giant tin can.

"Claire, you're too precious! There's nothing wrong with getting a little wet."

She shook herself off, giving an irritated cough.

"That's easy for _you_ to say. You're semiaquatic."

There was a gentle whirring sound, and Zara's daughter came rolling over on her wheel-device, which was fastened to her nonfunctional hind legs.

"Mum, is it okay if I play at Alison's house?"

"Is Vivian or Sarah around to supervise you?"

"Dunno, but it's not like I need to be looked after. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Zara chuckled.

"Mo, darling, as long as you're living under my roof, you'll do as I say. I don't want you getting into trouble like you did when you decided to explore the ridge."

Monica scowled.

"It's these stupid wheels. I can't balance properly. If I could just take them off-"

Zara covered her with her wing.

"Muffin, we've talked about this. You aren't strong enough to drag yourself around, and you could hurt your legs."

"So what? It's not like I can feel them!"

Zara bit her lower mandible and led her away from the pool.

"Let's talk about this somewhere else, okay?"

Claire gave Zara a comforting smile before she left. Meanwhile, Owen and Charlie were wringing out their clothing.

"You think she'll be okay?" Owen asked.

Claire nodded.

"Absolutely. Zara is a very responsible mother. I trust in her abilities more than my own, in fact."

Charlie smiled and hopped up on her back.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're a terrific mother."

Claire smiled up at her as she peeked over her frill.

"Well, if _you_ think so . . ."

She yelped in surprise as Lily came barreling around a hedge and collided with them. The teen fell backwards, but leapt to her feet just as quickly.

"I'm going on a date!"

Claire's eyes went wide.

"What? With who?"

"Liam! Who else?"

Owen crossed his arms.

"I don't remember giving permission for this . . ."

"Of course not," Lily chirped, "If I had asked you, you would have said 'no'."

Claire gave a quiet rumble.

"Lily, don't go rushing into things, okay? I know you think he's the best thing since sliced bread, but-"

"I'll be careful, Mama, honest!" Lily insisted, "It's just dinner. There won't be any funny business."

"Where are you going?"

"A restaurant by the East Dock. It's frequented by a lot of hybrids, so people won't stare as much."

"Oh, Lily . . ."

"I'm fine, Ma. People like me here. I'm practically famous. There's _merchandise_ based on me."

They all turned as a dragon swept down from the sky, landing with an extravagant flourish of her tail.

"Yeah, and it's some of our best-selling apparel, too," she beamed, "I'm here to return Claire's diary. I'm going to publish it verbatim in a few days, but I figured it would be respectful to give you one last chance to reconsider."

Claire shook her head.

"Don't change a thing. The public wants the truth, so that's what they'll get. Life is messy. There's no use in pretending it's anything but."

Elkay smiled.

"That's very mature of you, Claire. I'm glad you've accepted the story."

She shrugged.

"We live stories every day. It's not unusual."

"But it's unusual to have them told," Owen hummed as he changed his shirt.

Claire nodded.

"Maybe. But when all is said and done, each life story is built on the same foundation. Everyone experiences joy and sorrow, anger and fear, love and hatred . . . If hearing my story will help even one person, it will be worth it."

Elkay nodded wisely.

"For what is one person but a potential hero, who may brave the unknown lands of-"

"Don't get all poetic on me."

She laughed and handed her the diary.

"Alright, Miss Bossy. Take your silly little book so you can remember chapters long past. I took the liberty of restoring the page Blue tore out. That's something that should never be forgotten. By the way, I'm calling this whole plotline Hybrid Vendetta."

"I don't think-"

"Don't argue with the author, honey."

With a wink, the dragon beat her wings and traveled towards the Visitors' Center Palace. Lily walked up to her mother slowly and gave her a nudge.

"Is it true?"

"What?"

"That you're okay with sharing your story with the world?"

Claire gave the warmest of smiles.

"Life is meant to be shared, Lily. Not just in fragments, but as a whole. If you only display the parts of yourself that you think the world will like, you're living a lie. I used to be like that. But the truth doesn't scare me anymore, because I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm proud to be a stegoceratops. Green is my true color. This is who I am, and if people don't like it, that's up to them."

Lily nuzzled her.

"It's hard to imagine anyone not liking you."

Claire rested her chin on her daughter's snout.

"Well, no one is liked by everyone. That's just how life is. You should never waste your time trying to please those who will never appreciate you. It's much more rewarding to devote your attention to the people who love you, and who you love."

"I think I might love Liam."

Claire stepped back and looked her daughter in the eye. She wanted to explain to her that that wasn't what she meant. She wanted to warn her that Liam wasn't necessarily the right person for her. She wanted to tell her that she was being a naïve teenager who was too young to understand that not everyone was trustworthy. Although she wished to say all this and more, she found herself at a loss for words. Finally, after years of isolation, Lily was on the road to making a million mistakes like every other person in this world. She had a whole life ahead of her, one that Claire could no longer control. She couldn't stop her daughter from making her own decisions, even if they would sometimes lead to misery. Lily was not a tiny version of her mother: she was her own person . . . a person who might no longer need such sure and steady guidance.

All at once, Claire found herself becoming overwhelmed by the thought of losing her daughter, who would eventually move on. She couldn't stay cooped up in their little ranch forever. She would have to move out of the house, follow her dreams, and maybe have a family of her own someday. Claire and Owen would be alone once more. The worst part was that this would happen sooner than she expected. It was very possible that Claire would never have been able to let go of her daughter, that she would be content with spending the rest of her days living life in the exact same way from now until eternity. She wasn't ready. She could never be ready. This was all happening so fast, yet it had been sixteen years . . . Oh, god! Where had the time gone? Lily was practically an adult, and Claire's life was probably half over. She didn't have enough time, not even close! She would be forced to grow old and die, and when she did, she'd be leaving her little girl behind. How could she protect her, care for her, give her every scrap of love in her heart if she was destined to stop existing one day? Every story, even hers, had to end at some point. And what then? Would Lily make stories of her own? Stories that no longer included her mother?

As Claire gazed at her daughter, the living being she had conceived, carried, and birthed, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. The child- and she was, in Claire's eyes, still a child- reached out with concern and put her hand on her mother's cheek. With this gesture, she was brought back to that evening so many years ago when she first met the beautiful baby girl who had forever changed her life. It was the same baby who would later run around the living room in a tutu, dancing with her father. It was the same baby who would start crying whenever Winnie the Pooh was about to end, without fail, every single time. Most of all, it was the same baby who had reached out and touched her mother, smiling with trust and admiration in her eyes, and she was sitting in front of Claire now, still showing the same unconditional love as the day she was born. Whatever pain they had endured, it was worth it, because they endured it together. Even if they would someday be apart, they would never truly leave each other. Claire loved her daughter more than any other person living or dead, and Lily loved her just as much. She would never be forgotten. She would never be alone. No matter how much distance lay between them, they would never be any father than a step away from each other. Even death could not tear them apart. And so, Claire realized exactly what she wanted to say.

"This life is yours to live the way you choose, but I'll always be here for you."

Lily cocked her head.

"So . . . Can I go on a date with Liam?"

Claire nodded. Lily gave a gleeful scream and pranced around with unholstered energy.

"Thank you, Ma!"

Claire wiped away a tear with her tail.

"Thank _you_."

They shared a hug, which Owen and Charlie squeezed into halfway through. To the four of them, it did not feel like the end of their story. In fact, it didn't even feel like the beginning of one. They had been a part of each other for longer than they realized, and now everything had been set right. Finally. Their family would bloom into something beautiful. With glowing hearts, they shared each other's warmth in the afternoon sun, trusting that everything was going to be just fine . . .


	105. Not Quite Over

. . . but not knowing that a force greater than anything they'd ever faced was on its way to uproot their unity, and in doing so, would change the very fabric of the universe known as Jurassic World.

 **The End**


End file.
